Imogene Mauney Hardon

Mrs. Imogene Mauney Hardon, a truly wonderful Southern lady and a pillar of her community, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at her home in the Dry Creek community at the age of 102.

Funeral services honoring the life of Mrs. Hardon will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, February 14, 2026, in the Heritage Chapel of Ripley Funeral Home with Bro. Rex Bullock and Bro. Chris Shinall officiating. Visitation will be from 10:00 AM until the time of service. Burial will follow in the Concord Baptist Church Cemetery. There will be no graveside service.

Mrs. Hardon was a lifelong resident of Tippah County, where she was born on September 26, 1923, to Theodore Clinton and Mae Mullikin Mauney. She was a 1942 graduate of Pine Grove High School. That same year, she married her high school sweetheart, Jesse James Hardon. While her husband served in the Army, she worked at a war munitions plant outside of Memphis, TN, and as a department store clerk in Fort Riley, KS.

In 1946, after World War II, she began her remarkable career in education. She enrolled at Blue Mountain College, was granted a teaching permit by the Mississippi Department of Education, and began teaching at Dry Creek Elementary School. She commuted to Blue Mountain College for 10 years—attending workshops, night classes, and summer sessions—until she received her Bachelor's Degree in 1956. Mrs. Hardon continued her education at the University of Mississippi, where she received a Master's degree in Education in 1963 and an AAA Certification in Administration and Elementary Education in 1979. Mrs. Hardon transferred to Pine Grove Elementary School in 1955, where she taught First Grade and later served as Elementary School Principal until her retirement in 1986 with 40 years of service in the South Tippah School District. Even today, many of her former students fondly recall Mrs. Hardon singing and playing the ukulele during music time.

After retiring in 1986, she accepted a position as an instructor at Blue Mountain College, where she taught and supervised student teachers for 15 years. During her career she received multiple honors and awards, including Blue Mountain College 2016 Alumna of the Year, Pine Grove School Yearbook and Blue Mountain College Yearbook dedications, and American Association of University Women BMC Branch 1995 Woman of Achievement Award, among many others. Her second and final retirement came in 2001, concluding a remarkable 55-year career in education.

She was active in numerous professional and community organizations over the years, including the American Association of University Women, Tippah Retired Teachers Association, Delta Kappa Gamma Society, and Kappa Kappa Iota, where she was a member for over 50 years, participating at the local, state, and national levels. As a high school student, she was an active member of 4-H, winning a trip to Chicago in 1941 and returning home shortly before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. As an adult, she served as a 4-H Club leader for decades. She was also an active member of the Dry Creek Tippah County Development Club, served as the Dry Creek Community Correspondent for the Southern Sentinel, and was a member of the Tippah County Historical Society.

Mrs. Hardon was a devoted Christian and a longtime member of Concord Baptist Church, where she faithfully served as Sunday School teacher, Vacation Bible School teacher, Adult Choir member, Church Mrs. Imogene Mauney Hardon Obituary Full Length Final Page 2Clerk, and held her last role as Awana Youth Program Volunteer in 2019 leading singing, and playing basketball and ping pong with the children. Her strong Christian faith sustained her throughout her life, including through the tragic loss of her husband in 2001.

She was a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother — affectionately called "Nanny.” She loved all of her family, friends, students, and neighbors and faithfully supported them through life's milestones, attending weddings, funerals, graduations, and school programs and sporting events. She was famous for her Coconut Cake, which she baked and shared generously. A woman of gentle spirit, unwavering faith, and generous heart created a legacy that has touched countless lives.

She loved sports of almost every kind. When she was no longer able to attend local Pine Grove basketball games, she looked forward to receiving game results from her brother T.C. —calls she was still receiving the week before her passing. She was a devoted Ole Miss Rebels fan and enjoyed attending many college football games over the years. She loved to travel and visited many states as well as traveling abroad. She was 90 years old when she made her last overseas trip to England, France, and Germany.

She is survived by her daughter, Patricia "Patty" Collins (Stephen) of New Orleans, LA; her brother, T.C. Mauney, Jr. of Dry Creek; her sister Barbara Huddleston of Grenada; her granddaughter Camille Collins Black (Geoffrey) of New Orleans, LA; great-granddaughters Vivienne Vail Black and Marguerite Claire Black, both of New Orleans, LA; and a host of nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 59 years, Jesse James Hardon; brothers Carl Dane Mauney and Glenn Mauney; 3 brother-in-law Jerry Huddleston; and sisters-in-law Annie Margaret Mauney and Juanita Mauney.

Mrs. Hardon’s Nephews and Great-Nephews will serve as pallbearers and honorary pallbearers.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Imogene M. Hardon/Class of 1956 Scholarship, awarded each year to a student in the School of Education at Blue Mountain Christian University. Gifts may be mailed to BMCU, P.O. Box 160, Blue Mountain, MS 38610.

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