24°
William “Bill” Hardy, 67, died from thermal burns at the scene of the fire at his home in the 500 Block of Water Street in Royalton, Dauphin County shortly after 9 p.m., according to the coroner.
Hardy was a lifelong member of the community in both Royalton and Middletown, according to a GoFundMe campaign started by his family friend Cheryl Bretz.
He loved fishing, his dogs, his truck, and listening to bluegrass music, according to the campaign page and his obituary.
He “was a simple man, would do anything for anyone but never asked for help for himself,” but he did not have a life insurance policy, that’s why Bretz started the GoFundMe campaign.
The funds raised will help his family cover the cost of his funeral and other related expenses, according to the campaign page.
A Middletown firefighter who has been identified on the page as Shawn Meaner “was seriously injured in the fire attempting to rescue Bill and his beloved dog Max,” Bretz wrote. Surplus donations will be donated to the Middletown Volunteer Fire Company to help cover Meaner medical expenses.
The campaign has raised $404 raised of a $10,000 goal as of Tuesday night.
Hardy is survived by his sister Roberta Kreiser and husband Ron; niece, Miranda Vargas and husband Jay; and great niece and nephews, Chad Kreiser, Melina Valentin, and Kaydence Beard, according to his obituary.
His memorial service will be held at the Fager-Finkenbinder Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc., 208 North Union Street in Middletown on Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 11 a.m., preceded by a visitation starting at 10 a.m., according to his obituary.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made in his memory to the Middletown Volunteer Fire Department, 10 Adelia St., Middletown, PA 17057, Attention: Shawn Menear.
If you want to donate to the GoFundMe campaign page you can do so here.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Gettysburg and receive free news updates.
