Mary Alice Egan

Shreveport - Mary Alice Hardman Egan passed away peacefully on Monday, September 28, 2020 at the age of 100 after a long, happy, and storied life. Mary Alice was born to American parents, Clare (née Lyon) Hardman and Roy Cordis Hardman, both originally from Iowa, on February 4, 1920 in Colon, Panama where her father was a civil engineer. She was the youngest child, only girl and, from a tender age, displayed a charming, impish personality she never outgrew. Her father Roy's career and talent for designing modern public works systems in various capital cities of Central America ensured that his daughter had a thorough and innovative education. She was taught, in Spanish, in the Montessori method by nuns who had trained directly under Maria Montessori. Her education was supplemented by homeschooling with her mother, Clare, a published poet and Grinnell classics graduate. To her excellent Spanish, Mary Alice added French when she was sent to boarding schools in Switzerland. During that period, she also toured Holland (by bicycle naturally) with a girlfriend from Luxembourg and their friendship endured for decades. She spent a summer on a farm in the Black Forest of Germany where people already said, very quietly, what they really thought of Adolf Hitler. Mary Alice entered college at the age of 16 at the University of Kansas, chosen because her father's college friend was the Dean of Engineering at KU. There Mary Alice was elected Phi Beta Kappa, majored in philosophy (Bachelor of Arts) and earned a Master's Degree in Spanish. Mary Alice's traveling days were far from over. With the Second World War raging and despite being under the minimum age of 25, Mary Alice was accepted by the American Red Cross because she was deemed "serious" enough (an understatement). She was first assigned to a U.S. fighter base at Duxford, England, then was transferred - fortuitously - to the 410th Bomb Group of the Ninth Air Force (USAAF) stationed at Gosfield, England. Following its participation in the D-Day invasion, the 410th, including Mary Alice, was moved to an airfield near Juvincourt, France. There, a young pilot from Shreveport named Jim volunteered with a few other men to build the "hut," really a glorified tent, to shelter the two Red Cross women from the bitterly cold European winter of 1944-45. The men, completely unaware of it, were observed by Mary Alice. She was impressed that this fellow Jim was the only one who didn't swear, not even when he hit his thumb with a hammer. That hut would be the first of many, many homes Jim would make for Mary Alice during the next 75 years. Following a true whirlwind courtship, Mary Alice married then-Captain James Cronan Egan, Jr. on April 10, 1945 at the American Cathedral (Episcopal) in Paris, France. The bride wore her uniform. Mary Alice gamely joined Jim in the lifestyle of a career Air Force officer's family. They lived in Rome where Jim was with the occupation forces, and later, London, and Tokyo as well as Washington, D.C., along with many other stateside assignments. Moving to a new location was the signal to explore and then use it as a home base to explore everyplace near at hand. This curiosity about their surroundings and the new people and experiences they offered were a special gift to their children, Shirley and Michael, as they were growing up. A dedicated and affectionate mother, Mary Alice thought seeing that homework and piano practice were done, and that library books were selected for bedtime reading, should be of highest priority. Having a fabulous memory, Mary Alice could add in-depth, engaging facts to any homework assignment her children brought home. She stayed involved with their schools. Once, on a day's notice, she stepped in at her children's high school to teach all levels of Spanish for the rest of the year when the teacher abruptly left. Mary Alice was good at tongue-twisters, puns and puzzles and impish enough to delight in putting them over on you. It should come as no surprise that Mary Alice almost always won at Scrabble. A child's being home from school with a sniffle often meant that an encrypted message would be delivered to the bedside along with chicken soup. If both children were home with the same ailment then it was a race to see who could break her code first. When Jim retired in 1967, Mary Alice and Jim moved to "the Farm" located South of Shreveport, and not long after into Shreveport itself. They became communicants of St. Mark's Episcopal Church (now Cathedral) where Jim had been baptized. Mary Alice enjoyed a return to horseback riding, playing golf, and some Spanish teaching at college level. Most of all, Mary Alice enjoyed traveling around North America with Jim in their motor home. On separate trips they ventured to the Arctic Circle and Nova Scotia. They went to James Bay on a three-generations, extended camping trip with Shirley, her husband Bob, and their two youngsters. A tour of Central America, caravan style, was made with a second motor home driven by Mary Alice's beloved big brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Margaret Hardman. When still a teenager, Mary Alice began researching family history. Before the internet, genealogical nuggets were earned and extracted - in person - from courthouses or graveyards. Many were the times that a motor home trip involved stops to research her family or Jim's. There was some strong stock. Mary Alice was descended from five of the passengers on the Mayflower and also from Margaret Hacker who, at age eleven, was scalped, stabbed, and left for dead on the 18th century frontier, now West Virginia. In honor of the families of this woman and her husband, Peter Hardman, Mary Alice and Jim became Life Members of the Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendants. Mary Alice's ancestry was mostly humble, consisting of pioneers and farmers who prized their independence, their opportunities, and their educations. On her own life, their prizes were indelibly stamped. Mary Alice is survived by her loving husband of 75 years, Col. James Cronan Egan, Jr. (USAF Ret.) of Shreveport; her daughter, Shirley Katherine Egan of New York; and her son Michael Hardman Egan of Shreveport. She is also survived by her granddaughter, Katherine Egan Cornell; her husband, Brian George McMeekin; their daughter, Marion Clare Cornell; and special foster daughter, Ariyah, all of Kansas. Mary Alice also counted in the circle of a loving family Shirley's step-son, Travis Wolfgram Wanner; his wife, Alicia Barmon; and their son, Williamson Rainn Wanner, all of Maryland. Beloved nephews, Robert, Pierce and Dan Hardman and many Hardman great and great-great nephews and nieces also survive Mary Alice. Additionally, Mary Alice treasured the love of Jim's family, many of whom survive her, who so warmly welcomed her starting in 1945. Mary Alice was predeceased by her parents; her son-in-law, Robert Louis Wanner II; her nephew, James Hardman; and her brothers, Robert, John, and Marion Hardman. Mary Alice retained her sharp wits and sweet, gentle personality to the end with which she had already made her peace. The family wishes to thank all the caregivers who provided comfort and kindness to Mary Alice in her last years, including particularly the staff of The Guest House. Jim and Shirley wish to thank Mary Alice's son Michael, their son and brother, for his extraordinary devotion and attention to Mary Alice's well-being especially in her last two and a half years. In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials may be made to the organization of the donor's choice. A private service limited to the immediate family will be held. The Rev. Dr. Wayne Carter of St. Marks Cathedral will officiate. Mary Alice will take her final rest in Oakland Cemetery with Jim's ancestors.