This is a story of three undertakers (morticians) and a last ride.

Deo W. Hardman was a 48-year mortician in Roane County, a descendant of the historic George Washington Hardman family, early comers to Calhoun County. He died in 1970 at the age of 68.

An only child of Everett Hardman and the early death of his mother Bessie Bradley Hardman, Deo likely struggled in his early life, Everett returning to the George Washington Hardman Jrs. farming empire on Barnes Run, Calhoun County.

Everett road a horse checking on the vast operations around Calhoun County, unfortunately suffering from lifelong alcoholism. I witnessed his falling from his stead at least once. His son Deo followed with the family disease.

Lelah Hardman, daughter of Allie Hardman, married Fred Vandale who opened the Vandale Funeral Home in 1914, Spencer. Deo comes along and attends the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, becoming an embalmer and funeral director, working for Vandale for several years.

In 1938 he leaves Vandale to open his own funeral business with his partner Neil Conrad - the Hardman-Conrad Funeral Home, which rose to be the successful mortuary in Roane county.

In the late 1960s, Hardman-Conrad split and each had their own fading funeral businesses in Spencer. Deo was in declining health with his alcoholism. While being his competitor (Sinnett-Weaver), I helped him with embalming.

In 1970, his wife called my funeral home for an ambulance for Deo. I went and fired up his ambulance and went to the residence to discover he was suffering from chest pains, likely having a heart attack.

Deo declined to be placed on a cot, sitting in the front seat. We headed to St. Joseph Hospital in Parkersburg, chatting and telling stories.

Driving into Elizabeth I looked over to discover his head was slumpt and his facing was turning blue. Quickly stopping in front of a restaurant, I pulled him to the sidewalk, pulled him from the ambulance and commenced CPR. It worked.

Elizabeth mortician Clair Mace bounded from the nearby restaurant to give assistance. We placed Deo on a cot and headed to the Parkersburg hospital, placing him on oxygen, with Mace attending to his condition.

So here we are, three morticians headed to the hospital, with Deo dying a few days later. Mace, 45, died two years later from chicken pox.

The Sinnett-Weaver Funeral Home conducted Deo's funeral at his own establishment and he was laid to rest at Eventide Cemetery, Spencer.