JENEVA HARDNEY

JUNE 9, 1930 ~ JUNE 23, 2023

"If I Can Help Somebody My Living Shall Not Be In Vain"

It's summer, and Jeneva is doing one of the things she loves the most with the people she loves. She's traveling across the country from Denver CO to New York City, NY. She's on the Greyhound bus with five of her grandchildren, Marquita, Teddy, Tiyana, Destiny and Jordyn. The 1,778.5-mile journey includes several stops and transfers along the way. Jeneva loves traveling across the country on a bus, train, or airplane. Traveling is one of the things she adores most. Jeneva could see the best in people knowing that her grandbabies would have to sit next to strangers, and yet Jeneva trusted in the Lord that the children would be protected and that their journey would be productive and safe. At a young age, Jeneva learned to trust in the Lord, and she carried that with her throughout her life, never wavering from her true belief and calling that God would see her through regardless of the challenges and obstacles that lay before her.

Jeneva was the 6th of 12 children born to Thomas James Hardney and Amanda Cefroney Adams Hardney. With such a large family, love all abounds. On Monday, June 9th, 1930, God blessed the world with the beautiful baby girl Jeneva; for the next ninety-three years, she would bless others. She was born in Steubenville, OH, where she was educated and lived there until her teenage years.

An adventurous Jeneva lived in many places including Ohio, North Carolina, New Jersey, California, Georgia, Florida, and of course, Denver, which was the place where she lived the longest.

Jeneva had a loving heart and a giving spirit and cherished giving back to her community through volunteering. She could be reading to youngsters at her grandchildren's schools, working as a volunteer to welcome new neighbors into their community or as a member of the senior recycling committee - Jeneva was all over it. Jeneva certainly was the epitome of the word the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke when he said, "Not everybody can be famous, but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service."

Jeneva's greatness began when she was a child raised in an AME Church and baptized at a young age; she recognized the beauty in benevolence.

The mother of eight children – Theresa, Gilda, Marilyn and Marianne (twins who passed away at birth) Roger, Shawnda, Felicia and Robert. She was able to set an example for her children not just by her giving heart and spirit, which was coupled with her work ethic. She worked as an attendant at a local establishment and retired from the United States Postal Service.

Jeneva always found a way to make the most of difficult circumstances. When her health hindered her from being able to work, she made a commitment to volunteering and serving the community more. One could best describe Jeneva as a person wrapped in the spirit's fruits. She was filled with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. She valued connecting with people and reading and living by the words in the bible.

Regardless of the holiday Jeneva celebrated, making it unique for her children and grandchildren, she would dress up for Saint Patrick's Day and Halloween. She cherished Thanksgiving, Jeneva treasured Easter and Christmas, and most of all, she loved the holidays because it meant time with family and loved ones.

She did entertain herself by playing board games such as Pokeno or card games like Spades; however, she loved listening to the classic gospel. She loved the big choirs such as The Mississippi Mass Choir, Georgia Mass Choir, Mahalia Jackson, James Cleveland, and Andre Crouch, just to name a few. She would also repeatedly watch the original Imitation of Life – one of her favorite movies. Watching the TV series Little House on the Prairie was also joyful. It was well known that you didn't disturb Jeneva while she was watching her soap operas, she could follow each story, every one of the plots, their twists, and turns, and this brought a smile to her face.

Jeneva enjoyed fellowship at local churches in the different states she lived in. Seventh Day Baptist became her church home while living in New Jersey and upon her move to Colorado, she joined the Seventh Day Baptist church located in Lakewood, CO. Her most recent church home where she built relationships and participated in the many community events was Goode Centennial United Methodist in Commerce City, CO.

God saw fit to grace of us with Jeneva. On Friday, the 23rd day of June 2023, Jeneva crossed that majestic river. The clouds parted, the heavens opened, and the angels sang; Jeneva made it to her celestial home, where the father said Jeneva, well done, my good and faithful servant, well done.