Carol Marie (Whicker) Hardiman

Carol Marie Hardiman (Whicker) of Bluffton, SC and formerly of Framingham, MA passed away on Sunday, April 13th, 2025.  Carol is survived by her husband Tom and their beloved dog Coco; daughter Marion Gillis and her husband Scott Gillis; daughter Kara Hardiman and her husband Tom Jones; son Tom Hardiman and wife Karen Niles.  Her grandchildren Veronica and Connor Gillis, George and Brynna Hardiman and grand-dogs Bogey, Finn and Gracie Jones.

Carol was the 3rd of 5 children born to Marion and Charles Whicker of New York.  She met her husband Tom at a dance in Union City, New Jersey. Her subsequent love of music and dancing in the kitchen was a hallmark of her life. Carol was famous for creating her own version of Knock Knock jokes which would become the infamous “Whicker Joke”.  Carol was a thoughtful, caring and deeply spiritual soul who loved traveling with Tom and spending summers with family by the water.  She was an avid walker and participated in Boston’s Walk for Hunger for almost 20 years.  Her love of walking continued at her home in Sun City where she could be heard singing with friends around the neighborhood.

She loved her roles as Administrative Assistant at the Wellesley Middle School Performing Arts Department and the Learning Center for Deaf Children in Framingham.  It fed her love of the arts and inspired her to write poetry and Children’s stories.  Her love of community was evident in her participation in the 2 year vigil at St. Anselm’s Parish where she was a member for 30 years.

Services will be held at Sauls Funeral Home at 90 Simmonsville Road Bluffton, SC on April 23rd from 2pm-4pm & 6pm-8pm (includes prayer), and funeral mass to be held at St. Gregory the Great, 31 St. Gregory Drive Okatie, SC at 10:30am on Thursday April 24th. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or your local Audubon Society.