Former Putnam County sheriff and longtime deputy Jeff Hardy, a familiar face in local law enforcement and on a Harley around town, died on April 12 and was remembered at a packed memorial in Palatka on Thursday, June 4. Current and former deputies, family members and community leaders filled the auditorium to honor a career that stretched across decades of service and several generations of Putnam County residents.
Hardy started his law enforcement career with the Broward County Sheriff's Office before moving to Putnam County in 1991 to serve as a deputy. He later won election as sheriff and held the office for two terms, from 2009 until his retirement in 2016, according to an obituary in Palatka Daily News. Officials said he died April 12 of natural causes, and the June 4 memorial was held at the C.L. Overturf Jr. District Center Auditorium in Palatka, WCJB reported. Hardy was also a certified school resource officer, making him a familiar presence on local campuses as well as in patrol cars.
Sheriff's Office Shares Photos From Memorial
A photo set on a Putnam County Sheriff's Office Facebook post shows uniformed deputies, family members and a long line of motorcycles outside the auditorium, with officers standing at attention inside during the service. The post includes a short tribute that thanks Hardy for his years of service and reflects the tight bond between the agency and its former leader.
Colleagues Recall Reforms And Compassion
Current Sheriff H.D. "Gator" DeLoach credited Hardy with steadying the agency through some rocky years and said he "had a compassion for people" that shaped his approach to the job, News4Jax reported. Hardy's tenure also overlapped with one of the county's most high-profile and painful cases, the 2009 disappearance of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings, which drew national attention and became a central and lingering challenge for the sheriff's office, according to Action News Jax.
A Lasting Local Charity And Life Beyond The Badge
Off the street and out of uniform, Hardy left a mark through charity and bricks and mortar. He co-founded the Ten-24 Foundation to support officers and their families, and he is credited with pushing for a new, safer county jail that opened in January 2016, the obituary noted. Friends say that when he was not working he enjoyed golf, flying and motorcycle riding, and family and colleagues remember him as someone who quietly gave to people in need, Palatka Daily News reported.
Arrangements were entrusted to Johnson-Overturf Funeral Home in Palatka, whose site lists service details and contact information. Johnson-Overturf Funeral Home provides the Palatka chapel location and phone number.
