Shirley June Hardman

The family of Lea Hardman is saddened to announce her passing on December 4, having just celebrated her 84th birthday.

Lea was born in Kincaid, Saskatchewan in 1937 to William and Irene (Proctor) Geib. Along with her parents, she was predeceased by her brother, William Geib, daughter, Paige (Hardman) Crawley, and daughter by marriage, Maryanne (Fletcher) Hardman.

Lea is survived by her husband William (Bill), sons William (Bill) and his partner Maureen; Clayton and his wife, Keri, and their children William and Sarah; and, her granddaughter Jennifer Albert and her husband Eric and their children Ava and Rory.

Bill and Lea celebrated over 62 years of marriage and their love story is a magical and whimsical one. As the legend goes, Bill asked Lea to marry him after their first date in Montreal all those years ago, and from that point on, the two of them were inseparable. Their early marriage saw them moving from Regina to Vancouver to Calgary, before settling down in Halifax in 1964.

Lea was a remarkable retail entrepreneur with a knack for understanding people, for creating successful opportunities, and for being a tenacious businesswoman in a man’s world. She established, owned, and operated many successful retail businesses long before the Internet and the online shopping craze. Kitchen Korner, Bag ‘n Baggage, the Maple Tree, Satchels, and last but not least, A Step Up which, for many years, was located in the Spring Garden Road area. On two occasions, Lea and her business partner, Kathy Powers, won the prestigious honor of being voted best Gift Retailer of The Year in Canada.

Lea’s other passion was golf. She loved to play a round (or two!) of golf and enjoyed many fun golf tournaments throughout Nova Scotia. She had been a past member at Ashburn Golf & Country Club, Osprey Ridge, and The Meadows in Sarasota Florida. For over 10 years, she was involved in the ‘Fore the Grace’ golf tournament which she founded in support of the Grace Hospital. She was a kind and patient golf teacher and enjoyed her times on the course with her husband, sons, and granddaughter Jennifer. She was also very competitive and there was never such thing as ‘gimme putt’.

Lea and her husband Bill enjoyed many great trips around the world and their time together in Sarasota, Florida. As a great gift retailer, Lea always found unique mementos to bring home from the various countries she visited.

Lea loved her family and friends unconditionally, fiercely and completely, but she would not hesitate to dole out hard-to-hear advice or a kick in the butt, if she felt you needed it.

Herman’s Island held a special place in Lea’s life, and she enjoyed spending time with her grandkids at the family cottage. The kids loved knowing that Nan would always have a fresh pan of chocolate brownies waiting for them.

A celebration of life will happen at later date. Donations in Lea's memory can be made to the QE2 Hospital or a charity of your choice. Personal condolences to the family can be made through the JA Snow Funeral Home's website.

Lea’s family will welcome friends at a visitation on Thursday December 9, 2021, from 5:00-7:30pm at Snow‘s funeral home 339 Lacewood Dr. Halifax. Note: due to current COVID restrictions, all visitors will need to show proof of vaccination as they enter the funeral home.