Eldon Hardy, 91, of Stillwater, OK died on December 27, 2025. His memorial service will be at 2:00 P.M. Friday, January 2, 2026 at Strode Funeral Home Chapel in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

He was born in Stillwater on April 2, 1934, to Leslie and Bertha Hardy. Eldon attended school in Stillwater and then joined the Air Force where he was selected to study the Russian language in Monterey, CA. He then lived in Japan for 2 years monitoring Russian aircraft.

Back in Stillwater, Eldon earned a degree in drafting and devoted himself to a 35 year career as a meticulous draftsman for Oklahoma State University. He took great pride in his work and had a sign in his office asking, "Do you want a rushed job or a good job?"

During his time at OSU, Eldon made lifelong friends who regularly met for coffee, even up to his last day. Most people think "coffee" is just a beverage, but to Eldon and his buddies, it was an event.

Eldon married Deanna Caswell in 1970, and they shared a wonderful life with their 2 children and 2 grandchildren.

Eldon is preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Leslie; and his grandson, Miles.

He is survived by his wife, Deanna; His children Brad (Sara), and Jill (Kelly); and his granddaughter, Nola.

Eldon was a loyal OSU fan with season tickets to football, basketball, baseball, and wrestling for 60+ years. When his mobility declined, he got his money's worth streaming every OSU event on ESPN+. When there was not a game, Eldon coerced his family to travel far and wide to find the best BBQ restaurants in the tri-state area. This passion was passed down to both of his kids, and he enjoyed hearing about their adventures. Other hobbies included coin collecting, genealogy, matchbook collecting, growing tomatoes, photography, and travel. Eldon was very creative and had a clever and subtle sense of humor, but that attribute his family takes the most pride in was his generosity.