Clay Hardin of Franklin

November 23, 2022

Clay M. Hardin of Franklin, TN, died at age 53 on November 23, 2022, following a brief battle with cancer. He is survived by his beloved wife Jennifer George Hardin; parents, Kathleen Haynes of Hendersonville,TN and Ralph Hardin of Spring Hill, TN; his brother, Kyle Hardin (Michelle) of Atlanta, GA; and niece, Shelby Hardin. Aunt and Uncle, Mary and Clint Thornton of Jay, OK.  Also survived by loving Haynes, Kennedy and Hardin cousins; sister-in-law, Karen George Griffy of Chattanooga, TN and nephew, Alex Griffy. Predeceased by maternal grandparents, Joe D. and Lucy Haynes of Castalian Springs,TN and fraternal grandparents, Fred and Ruth Hardin of Wichita, KS.

Born on Oahu, HI, Clay grew up in Franklin, TN. He was a 1987 graduate of Montgomery Bell Academy. He then earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Furman University, Greenville, SC. Clay returned home and began working at the Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk's office. While there, he created the first docket posting computer program for the circuit court. Also, during this time, he embraced world travel and backpacked Europe for 3 months, photographing and journaling about his many adventures. For the past 20 years he has worked as a software engineer at Optum/IT Services in Cool Springs. At Optum, Clay loved working closely with various teams here in the states and in India, mentoring "the youngins" and sharing his daily dad jokes with his co-workers.

Clay met the love of his life and best friend Jennifer George in 2005 and they married in 2011. Clay was known for his generous spirit, ingenuity, sharp wit, and devotion to those he loved, including his beloved yellow lab, Jack. No doubt Clay and Jack are playing their favorite game, “toy search and rescue” or curled up on the couch reading.

Clay was simply kind, honorable, and decent. There was no better husband, son, or friend. We are forever grateful for the limited time we had with Clay. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

A memorial is being planned for the first of the year with reception to follow. More details will be posted as they become available on Clay’s memorial page at https://www.mykeeper.com/events/ClayMHardin/ .