Up until near the very end, Rev. W. G. Hardy Jr., a civic leader who began his journey as a minister in small church in the heart of Portland's African American community, asked himself two questions each day: Who needed a helping hand? Who needed gentle counsel?

Then he went to work.

Time was precious, not to be wasted on frivolity, and certainly not in feeling sorry for himself. He pressed on through pain and fatigue, knowing the cancer would soon take him.

"Sunday services, weddings and meetings," said his son, DeShawn Hardy. "He gave it his all. He worked that last Sunday, and then he was bed-ridden at home. By the end of the week, he'd passed."

Laid to rest on Monday, Hardy, 60, was one of those people woven into the fabric of the city, doing what he could to make life better or all: Believers and non-believers, and people of all ages, races and stations in life. He believed service and faith shouldn't be confined inside a building one Sunday a week. Although his base was senior pastor of the Northeast Portland's Highland Christian Center, his true path was in the city's nooks and crannies.

In his eulogy, Mayor Ted Wheeler said Hardy wanted to build relationships between the faith community, elected officials and governmental agencies. In doing so, Wheeler said, Hardy believed citizens would be served for generations to come.

"And though Pastor Hardy's time on this earth has drawn to a close, his work endures," Wheeler said. "It lives on through us."

The last chapter in his life began in 2015, when Hardy was diagnosed with kidney cancer.



"He was told he had six months," his son said. "He kept on. What it was time for him to go, it was time."

Hardy had a lifelong interest in learning. He studied at Portland Community College and Marylhurst University. He was a fellow with the American Leadership Forum, and received his honorary doctoral degree from Mt. Carmel Theological Seminary in Fresno, Calif. He was an ordained minister with standing in the Church of God in Christ, United Church of Christ and Full Gospel Pentecostal Church. A few years ago, Hardy was awarded the Christi Crux Award recognizing individuals who have made significant contributions to the church and to Concordia University.

"He was a friend and mentor," said Gary Withers, the university's chief strategic relations officer. "He shared by word and deed. He brought a message of hope and accountability. He had a touch with people. He treated everyone the same, from the governor to the janitor. He saw in all the humanity, dignity and spiritual nature in a life."

Preaching was in the family bloodline. His father, Bishop Wilbert G. Hardy Sr., was a pastor with Portland's Church of God in Christ. He was born and raised for a time in Northeast Portland before the family moved to Southeast Portland.

"At the time," his son said, "it was rare to have an African American in the neighborhood. That experience made my father understood diversity."

After service in the U.S. Navy as an aviation electronic technician, he returned to Portland, married and started a family. Hired on as an engineer in the maintenance department at TriMet, Hardy eventually worked his way up to a supervisory role.

But then he felt God's tap on his shoulder.

"He felt the need to pastor," his son said. "He continued working, and did some part-time preaching at Highland, at the time a small church with less than 30 members."

The church was on its last legs. Financially strapped, the pastor had died, and the building needed extensive renovation. Hardy became the co-pastor and then was asked to be the senior pastor.

"He said yes," his son said. "It was a big risk for him to leave his job at TriMet. But he felt he was called, and he made the commitment."

Hardy helped the church raise the money to buy an old Northeast Portland movie theater and turn it into a church. In time, the church outgrew the location and they bought a building in outer Northeast Portland. Highland Christian Center now has 2,000 members.

"One day, I was talking with my father about his work," DeShawn Hardy said. "I told him I had big shoes to fill. He just looked at me and said, "Son, your feet will grow.'"

Hardy used his influence to tackle tough issues. He wanted individuals to take accountability for their own lives. He also expected police and others in position of power to be held to the same standard. He didn't just preach, he came down off the pulpit and got his hands dirty dealing with issues that had no clear answer: drug addiction, homelessness and poverty. He helped people register to vote, and he set up day care for families in need. His son heads the church's extensive outreach program that helps young people get out of gangs or find ways to steer clear of them.

DeShawn Hardy said the Highland board will meeting in the coming weeks to decide who will lead the church and carry on the work of his father.

Hardy's goal was to make Portland a better place to live, said Roy Jay, president of the African American Chamber of Commerce.

"He was always reaching out to people less fortunate," Jay said. "He had a large African American following, but his church was open to everyone. You would see Asian and white, elderly and young, rich and poor. They were part of the family."

Jay said he considered Hardy a brother.

"The guy gave it his all," Jay said. "He was a good man. This city lost someone special."

--Tom Hallman Jr.

thallman@oregonian.com; 503 221-8224

@thallmanjr