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9/11/97 ~ Jerry
Hart
The Better Half of the
Duo , "The Two of Harts"
Someone very special lay for two weeks slipping
away in a hospital bed after seven years of
illness. A sweet, talented man, Jerry Ward
Hart, who has performed the works of many of the greats of popular and
country music -- The Eagles, Waylon and Willie, David Allen Coe and Hank, Jr., as well as the Beatles (oh, how he could play
their tunes!), Randy Travis, the
Bellamy Brothers, and so many others, as well as his own songs (at least 5 albums worth, most of them still
unrecorded) -- and now he, after having been
dismissed as hopelessly ill by the doctors in charge of his care, has chosen to release his hold on this early existance and
go to the arms of his savior.
He had no wealth or fame, just his love of
performing and his enormous cache of music and his memories of sharing with others his love for music. He continually reached out to help others to share their talents and original works through countless
showcases hosted for free.
*** His songs written to benefit the hungry and homeless were performed and donated for those less fortunate. Aside from the music, many times he spent hours assisting others, and could be found in any weather, under a
stranded stranger's vehicle working to get it
going again. Because of his sensitivity, he took the troubles of those around him to heart
and would always try to give solace and
encouragement to anyone in trouble,
without regard to his own convenience or
safety, ultimately resulting in his
death. There never was a more willing good samaritan than Jer. Even after his death, he has kept on giving -- his old 1963 Ford Econoline van has been vandalized
in a break-in attempt to steal it. There have been
repeated attempts, some successful, to steal other equipment which has taken years of sacrifice and hard work to obtain.
*** He remains virtually unknown and unapplauded for his gifts and great love for others.
Like many who were famous, he fought a long
and valiant, though unsuccessful, fight to
stay in recovery from his addiction to
alcohol. There were those who in the guise of friendship aided the deterioration and ultimate destruction of his body, but never his precious spirit. Unlike many who have
been fortunate enough to overcome the hold
this terrible disease had on him, he didn't have the physical and financial resources
to fight any longer.
He was only
43 years old.
*** He had so many obstacles in his life -- missing the upbringing of his only daughter whom he
loves so dearly and for whom he wrote the hauntingly beautiful "Song For Tina," and the recent loss of both his
mother and his father (the latter for whom he
searched -- for over 15 years).
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