If you look in the dictionary for “Jack of All Trades” you might see a photo of Robert Edward Hardwick. “Rob”, as he was known to family and friends, had the Midas touch when it came to entrepreneurship, electronics and sound design, outdoor grilling, and eventually, sales.

Rob was born May 28, 1971, in North Carolina. He loved spending time on Watts Barr Lake with family and friends, enjoyed traveling and had a penchant for LOUD music. Rob was an adrenaline junkie…He got a thrill from jumpin’ out of “perfectly good” airplanes, riding roller coasters, scuba diving, fast cars and anything that made his heart race– which included the love of his life, Wendy Wade. It was during a family vacation in Birmingham, AL, where they met. At the age of 13, he began a long-distance pen-pal relationship with Wendy, who at 15 years of age, he playfully called his “older woman”.

They began dating after Rob graduated from Joshua High School in Joshua, TX. During their first kiss, church bells started ringing (literally). After two years of courtship, they married in January 1991 at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Pearl, MS and began their adventures together.

By the age of 26, Rob successfully started his own business, Mobile Connection in Jackson, MS providing quality audio and visual systems for home and auto. Rob’s motto was simple: “if it was too loud, you were too old!” Approachable, friendly, and easy to talk to, he loved to strike up a conversation and help folks adjust to being young again with the newest and most advanced audio-visual system available. Also, he was always willing to help his friends and neighbors by giving them a hand with any household project.

In 2008, he answered the call of the Aflac Duck and began another career in the service of others. Quickly rising through the ranks, he and Wendy relocated to Crossville, TN where he became an award-winning District Coordinator.

Rob is survived by his Wife, Wendy Wade Hardwick; his daughter, Haley Nicole Hardwick (Daniel Kett); his son, Chandler Wade Hardwick (Juliette Harstick); and his Nephew Harley Hardwick, who was really more like a brother than a nephew. He was preceded in death by his parents Bob and Pansy Hardwick and sister Angie Byrd.

Visitation only will take place Saturday, January 9, from 3:00 to 6:00 at Crossville Memorial. In celebration of Rob’s 50th birthday this May, the family will scatter his ashes on his favorite beach in North Carolina, where he loved going as a child, and which became a favorite family vacation spot throughout his life.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Little Light House, Central MS (LLHMS.ORG).