William Arthur Lardin

William Arthur (Bill) Lardin, MD, died peacefully on November 18, 2024, at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in Tallahassee, FL. Funeral arrangements will be handled by Allen & Allen Funeral Home. A viewing for family and friends will be between five and seven o’clock in the evening on Friday, November 22, at Allen & Allen, 110 W. Hansell St., Thomasville, GA. The funeral service will take place at ten o'clock Saturday morning, November 23, at the Allen & Allen Chapel. A luncheon at the Plaza Restaurant will follow the service at half past eleven o'clock. Committal and interment will be at Evergreen Cemetery, Fitzgerald, GA, at three o'clock in the afternoon.

Bill was born on March 16, 1945, in Dallas, TX, to Arthur Rupert Lardin and Mary Aileen Burgee Lardin. His childhood years were spent in Garland, TX; Amityville, NY; and Hawkinsville, GA. He attended high school at South Brunswick High School in Monmouth Junction, NJ, where he graduated as valedictorian in 1963. In addition to his outstanding scholastic achievements, Bill was also the editor of the yearbook.

Bill received his undergraduate education at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Upon graduating with a degree in chemistry in 1967, he entered medical school, also at Emory, graduating with an MD in 1971. During his undergraduate years at Emory, he met his future wife of 55 years, C. Sharon (Sherry) Chastain of Dalton, GA. They were married on July 26, 1969 and resided in Atlanta for the next five years. Bill completed a residency program in anesthesiology at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta in 1974. In the early autumn of 1974, Bill and Sherry moved with their infant son to Thomasville, GA. In Thomasville, Bill began practice as an anesthesiologist at John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital. He was a founding member of South Georgia Anesthesia Associates. Throughout his career, he was always an unwavering and staunch advocate for his patients and for all surgical staff. His contributions to the Archbold surgical department, ICU, and respiratory therapy are remembered to this day, nearly 25 years after his retirement.

Bill maintained a lifelong fascination for a number of pursuits including an informed appreciation for classical music, long-distance biking, metalwork, radio electronics, and computer networking. But aviation was always principle among his endeavors; Bill was an accomplished instrument-rated pilot as well as a champion competitive sail plane pilot. By the time he decided to stop flying, Bill had accumulated over 4,000 hours in the air. His favorite place was the Thomasville Airport, where he could be found every morning as soon as the sun was up, drinking a cup of coffee with friends.

He is survived by his wife, C. Sharon Chastain Lardin of Thomasville, GA; his sons Harvey A. Lardin (Kelly) of Chicago, IL; and Clifford A. (Heather) Lardin of Havertown, PA; sister, Joan C. Lardin of Atlanta, GA; grandchildren Julia M. Lardin and Sarah E. Lardin of Chicago, IL; Josh N. Lardin and Anna C. Lardin of Havertown, PA. He was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur Rupert Lardin and Mary Aileen Lardin and his son, William A. Lardin. The family wishes to extend their deepest gratitude to the staff of Big Bend Hospice for their attentiveness and care in Bill’s final days and requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Big Bend.