Rita Mary Hardy, née Maskell, passed away peacefully at home at the age of 89 on January 2, 2026. 

She was born on December 8, 1936, in London, England to the late Lilian and Hubert Martin.  She was raised by her mother and the late Robert Maskell after her biological father passed away during World War II. 

Despite being born in an era when her first memories would be of the Blitz of London, she had a spirit of adventure, charm, and spunk and was a person who danced through any obstacle’s life threw at her (and any dance floor she found herself on).  Following her husband Fred’s work, life took her from England to Germany, Germany to Belgium, and finally to America.  She was many things in life but embraced them all with love, warmth, and compassion.   

Rita was an avid reader, particularly of biographies and history.  She took culinary classes in Belgium, and everybody loved her shepherd’s pie, Madame Decamp’s dish, and all the Easter and Christmas dinners.  With the German she picked up while living in Europe, she became a German/English interpreter in Customs and Immigration at Charlotte-Douglas Airport.  Rita often remarked that the eighteen years she worked there were among the most fun years of her life. 

Rita is survived by her husband of sixty-eight years, Frederick Hardy; her two sons Martin and Matthew Hardy; her younger sister Margaret; five grandchildren Danny, Charlotte, Monika, Selina, and Kurt; and four great-grandchildren Oskar, Penelope, Wallace, and Roman. 

A funeral ceremony will be held at 2pm Saturday, January 10, 2026, in the Chapel at Hankins and Whittington Funeral Service, 1111 East Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203.

Online condolences may be made at www.HankinsandWhittington.com.