OUTLOOK - Earlier this year, the story of killed Outlook soldier Winton 'Bud' Hardy gripped the community and shed a light on how his grieving family has been dealing in the aftermath.
Bud was killed in June while serving as a combat medic on the Ukrainian front lines, his life ended in an instant by a Russian drone strike.
Will Hardy spoke lovingly about his late brother's dedication to everything that he committed himself to in an interview with this reporter in August, describing Bud as giving, caring, and someone who lived his life by order.
In addition to sharing the story of his brother, Hardy also shared that an online crowdfunding campaign was launched to assist the family with everything related to honouring Bud's memory, including a memorial monument that they hope to purchase and dedicate to the young man.
On the donation page for the GoFundMe campaign, Will gave an update on where things stood, as well as the family's concrete plans for the immediate future.
It reads:
"Hey, everybody. It's Will. First off, a huge thank you from me and my mom, Diane Hardy, to everyone who's supported us. Unfortunately, there's been no progress in bringing my brother back to Canada, and it looks like that won't be happening. Your support means everything as we navigate through.
On a brighter note, although my brother won't be coming back to Canada, we were able to locate some of his personal belongings, which are en route to Canada now. We've also been working on a meaningful way to honor his memory. We're planning a granite bench, costing around five grand, to be placed in Outlook.
Additionally, we plan to place a smaller stone next to our father's in the cemetery. These memorials come with a hefty price tag; the bench alone is over $5,000, and the stone is another $3,000. While our $15,000 goal is ambitious, we hope to raise about $5,000. We'll keep the GoFundMe open for a few more months and see where it takes us. Thanks again for everything. We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and in the spring, we're looking forward to seeing the memorial come to life."
The GoFundMe campaign has raised roughly $2800 to date. Those who may be interested in donating to it can check out the page at gofundme.com/f/bud-hardy.
