This week, The Grenada Star spotlights 75-year-old Bobbie Hardiman of Grenada.
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born on April 28, 1946, in the Tie Plant Community.
Q: Who were your parents?
A: My parents were the late Joe and Lucindia Ellis.
Q: What did your parents do for a living?
A: My father worked at Koppers Company and my mother worked at Pennaco Hosiery. Before that, she was a housemaid.
Q: Do you have any brothers or sisters?
A: There were nine of us. Willie, Leroy, Kelvin and James. Bernard, Richard, Joe Jr. and Ricky are deceased.
Q: Where did you attend school?
A: I attended Tie Plant Elementary and Carrie Dotson High School, Class of 1965.
Q: What do you recall most from your childhood?
A: I was spoiled as a child LOL. I was always under my mother. I loved playing outside games like hopscotch, hide-and-seek and jump rope.
Q: Where have you lived?
A: I’ve always lived in Tie Plant.
Q: What do you like most about Grenada?
A: The people here are nice, but I love the time exercising and doing aerobics at the Lewis Johnson Senior Complex. This is where I got a chance to meet with friends and get our daily workouts in. I’ll be so glad when it reopens.
Q: What was your husband’s name?
A: My husband was the late James Hardiman.
Q: How long were you married?
A: We were married for eight years.
Q: What made your spouse the one for you?
A: I don’t know, he saw me and loved what he saw.
Q: What advice do you give married couples for them to have a long, healthy marriage like you did?
A: You have to trust one another, that’s the key. You also don’t ever try to go at something major all alone. Your spouse is your partner.
Q: Do you have any children?
A: I have one daughter, Michelle.
Q: Where do your children live and what do they do for a living?
A: Michelle lives here in Grenada and is a factory worker.
Q: Where do you attend church?
A: I attend Second New Hope Missionary Baptist Church.
Q: Where did you work? What was your role?
A: For 36 years, I worked at Pennaco Hosiery. I was an inspector there at first and then I became a machine operator.
Q: Do you have any grandchildren?
A: I have one grandson and his name is LeKendrick Hardiman.
Q: Do you do a lot of traveling?
A: During the pandemic, I couldn’t because everything was shut down. The family managed to travel to Irving, Texas in April to visit other family members.
Q: What inventions have you witnessed that intrigue you? Why?
A: The cell phone has to be the most intriguing because there’s so much you can do with it. All of the inventions to the automobile nowadays are intriguing too. You don’t even need a map for directions anymore.
Q: What keeps you busy these days?
A: Exercising. If it’s not raining, I’m going to get four miles of walking in. Four days a week, four miles that’s what keeps me busy.
Q: What is your favorite TV show and movie? Why?
A: Anything that Tyler Perry directs I love. I love the movie “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” it’s a really good movie. I don’t do much television shows though.
Q: What advice would you like to give people on staying healthy?
A: You have to exercise and get those steps in. For me, I like to keep my mind healthy also by playing games and doing puzzles. I go from one to another. Most importantly, you have to keep God first.
- By: Reggie Ross
