Catherine Swinderman "Kate" Hardman

HARDMAN, Catherine (Kate) Swinderman, age 66, of Kettering, passed away on Monday January 29, 2018 after a courageous second battle against breast cancer. Kate was born on November 2, 1951 to Edward and Mercedes (Carey) Swinderman in Dayton, OH. She attended St. Joseph Commercial High School and graduated in 1970. After graduating from St. Elizabeth Medical Center School of Nursing in 1972, Kate earned her Bachelor of Arts from The College of Mount Saint Joseph in 1984, a Master of Science in Education from The University of Dayton in 1987, followed by a Master of Science from The College of Nursing and Health at Wright State University in 2003, which honored her with the Outstanding Graduate Student award for finishing first in her class. A scholarship in her name will be created to commemorate this achievement and her lasting impact on the profession she loved so dearly. Kates nursing career spanned over 40 years, culminating as a Nurse Practitioner at the Dayton VA, where she worked from 2003 until her retirement due to illness last year. A proud recipient of both the Compassionate Heart Award and the prestigious Susan J. Baily Award for nursing innovation, Kate considered her time at the VA her lifes work. Kate is preceded in death by her husband Robert P. Hardman, M.D. She is survived by her son Kenneth Hashimoto; Kenneths father Shunji; and brothers Edward and William Swinderman. Dear friends include Sylvia White and family, Carol Ahlers, Peggy Roche, Debra Schaeffer, Carrie Magnon, and Alice Wallace. We would not have survived the grueling and unending challenges presented during the past nine months without your love, kindness and unwavering support. The family would like to thank Noble Circle and Pink Ribbon Girls for also helping us along our journey. We are forever indebted to Drs. Maher T. Al-Samkari and Linda M. Barney for their compassionate care and guidance; and we were so very blessed and fortunate to be cared for by the Pulmonary Nursing, RT & PCT teams at Miami Valley Hospital. After the initial shock of the acute diagnosis passed, we committed ourselves to moving forward regardless of the odds. We learned to celebrate every positive experience, no matter how minor, as a victory and to focus only on today. We believed we were being guided by angels; and we saw proof of that too many times to count. Even as our prayers went unanswered and the pain and suffering she endured became cruel and merciless, we still saw them. But this time they came to take her home, and so she followed. Kate is forever loved and missed by all who knew her, for she was taken from us too soon. Our loss is too profound for words. Visitation will be held Saturday, February 3 from 2:00-4.00 p.m. at Routsong Funeral Home, 2100 E. Stroop Rd, Kettering, OH 45429, and will conclude with a brief prayer. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to no-kill cat rescue shelter The Tenth Life, P.O. Box 178, Alpha, OH 45301. Donations can also be submitted online at https://www.justgive.org/.

Funeral Home:
Kettering Routsong Funeral Home
2100 E. Stroop Rd.
Kettering, OH
US 45429