Retired Haverhill police officer Osmond “Ozzie” Hardy has died, the Haverhill Police Department said Wednesday.
Serving the City of Haverhill for 30 years before retiring in 2011, Hardy was an U.S. Air Force veteran. Hardy’s popular “Ozzie’s Kids” toy donation drive and outreach program brightened holidays like Christmas for children and families in Haverhill for years, and will live on through his surviving family members, including daughter Khristina Hardy, the Haverhill resident said in the days before his death.
Officer Ozzie Hardy. (Courtesy file photograph)
“Officer Hardy touched the lives of countless families in the region and will be missed by all who served with and knew him. Our condolences go out to his family,” the Haverhill Police Department said in a statement Wednesday.
Battling health issues for the past several months, Hardy was open about his struggles as he entered hospice care just last weekend. The community—including Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini—rallied around him, sending support and well wishes through social media, with Hardy himself responding to messages.
Fiorentini was quick to call Hardy one of Haverhill’s best and brightest. “Ozzie Hardy is one of the real heroes of our city. Every year he makes Christmas happen for hundreds of children and their families. Our thoughts and prayers go with him and his family in this difficult time,” Fiorentini said on April 5.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
Stay with 97.9 WHAV FM for more on this developing story.