• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Must Reads

WATCH – 94-year-old pianist with dementia plays wife’s favourite song on 75th wedding anniversary

A 94-year-old pianist with dementia celebrated 75 years of marriage – with a rendition of his wife’s favourite song which he has never forgotten. Former soldier Edward Hardy struggles to remember a lot of things because of his disabling illness. But he has never lost his playing ability and could still serenade wife Betty, 92, […]

Jess Young by Jess Young
2017-09-22 11:31
in Must Reads, Relationships
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

A 94-year-old pianist with dementia celebrated 75 years of marriage – with a rendition of his wife’s favourite song which he has never forgotten.

Former soldier Edward Hardy struggles to remember a lot of things because of his disabling illness.

But he has never lost his playing ability and could still serenade wife Betty, 92, with 50s jazz classic Misty to mark the milestone on Thursday (Sep 21).

The couple married as teenagers before Ed served with The Musical Corp in Malaysia and India during WWII.

Edward, who grew up in a newsagents, was a talented musician who set up his first band – the Sam Hardy Trio – when he returned from serving in Japan in World War II.

They gigged across the West Country after the war as he and Betty saved up to eventually build their own bungalow in Glastonbury, Somerset.

Edward Hardy and the band play Misty

Last year they were parted when he was diagnosed with dementia and moved into a care home, leaving Betty behind at their house.

RelatedPosts

Ironic: Council admits it ‘must try harder’ after misspelling ‘grammar’ on sign outside school

Callous thief stole homeless man’s guitar while he slept in shop doorway

Yob who told French traffic warden she was an ‘immigrant’ found guilty of hate crime

Jail for racist woman who threatened to take out two hand guns and shouted ‘kill all the Muslims!

But she moved and joined him weeks later and Edward still knows his way around the piano keys despite having a limited memory.

Staff at Mellifont Abbey in Wookey, Somerset, where they now live, do their best to keep the music and the memories going.

The home’s Activities Co-ordinator, Sam Kinsella, said Edward hadn’t played piano for nearly 25 years before moving to the home but he had no trouble returning to it.

He said: “I remember the day Ed started playing again. He hesitated for about 30 seconds and then started playing some amazing tracks to a ridiculous standard.

“It’s really amazing because even though he’s got dementia – you can name a tune and he can just play it.”

Ed Hardy with his band the Sam Hardy trio.

Betty fondly remembers all the places that Edward’s decades of piano playing took them, including a 20-year road trip through the States.

“We saw the whole country, from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico,” she recalled.

“When we played concerts Ed and I would start the dancing off to get the other couples on the floor.”

Last year, staff at Mellifont Abbey surprised Edward by reuniting him with his former bandmates – after an online ad for musicians to play with the pianist received more than 80 responses.

“He hadn’t played with the band for the last 20 or 30 years and couldn’t really comprehend it until they actually came together,” said Mr Kinsella.

“But when they started playing together and talking about the old times – that’s when it started coming back to him.”

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Police officer’s treatment over moped suspect stop labelled “an absolute travesty”

S. Yorks Police chief suspended over Hillsborough

Is Farringdon the meat-eating capital of London?

We’ve got a leader who looks like a prime minister: Reaction as Starmer wins Labour leadership contest

I am Mark – review

Man taking Wimbledon selfie ‘had no idea’ Duchess of Sussex sat nearby

New variant of Covid ’emerges in Nigeria’ as ‘sharp increase’ in positive tests in parts of UK

Anti-Muslim sentiment ‘remains a problem’ in Tory party and PM’s burka comment specifically called out

BP plan to use coral-killing chemical near giant coral reef

Lucky Numbers and Horoscopes for today 11 April 2022

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.