USAF Retired DOVER - Colonel Charles ("Bill" or "IE") William Hardie, USAF Retired, died peacefully at home Jan. 20, 2016, with his beloved wife Kay, by his side. Bill is survived by his wife of 56 years, Kay (Johns) Hardie, son William "Bill" and his wife Susan, daughters Loris (Hardie) Flores and Alison (Hardie) Frey and her husband Gerry He is also survived by nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Bill was born Sept. 15, 1936 in Jackson, Michigan to the late Dr. George C. Hardie and Alison (Geggie) Hardie. Bill graduated from Michigan State University in 1959 with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and received his commission through the school's ROTC program. He earned his USAF pilot wings in 1960 and was assigned to fly the C-124 aircraft at Charleston AFB, S.C. Early in 1969, Bill was assigned to C-7A Caribou aircraft at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. It was during this tour that he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for a heroic action. After one year in Vietnam, he was assigned to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, where he again flew C-124s. Following a three year tour in Alaska, he attended Air Command & Staff College. IE was then assigned to McGuire AFB, N.J. in 1974 where he completed the Industrial College of the Armed Forces by correspondence. His assignments there included duty as an Air Force Advisor to a unit of the N.J. Air National Guard, and as an Operations Officer and Squadron Commander of the 18th Military Airlift Squadron. Soon after Bill's promotion to Colonel, we was transferred to his last base, Dover AFB as Chief of Supply of the 436th Supply Squadron. He retired after 30 years of service as Deputy Commander of Resource Management. Bill started volunteering with AMC Museum even before he retired! Bill was the head of a C-124 restoration team when he was sidelined by aneurysm surgery; he was in ICU for over a month. To quote a recent AMC article: "From his earliest days in native Michigan, to his recovery from surgery that saved his life but impaired his speech and motor skills, Hardie has approached life with a positive attitude that transcend the negative." In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to be sent to the Air Mobility Command Museum, Dover AFB, Delaware (amcmuseum.org), AMC Museum Foundation Inc., 1301 Heritage Road, Dover AFB, Del. 19902. A memorial service will be held 3 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 at Torbert Funeral Chapel South, 1145 E. Lebanon Road (Rt.10), Dover. Friends may call from 1-3 p.m. Interment will be in Arlington Cemetery at a later date. Letters of condolences may be sent and guest book signed at www.torbertfuneral.com.