Anita Windley Hardesty, 79, of Beaufort, North Carolina, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on June 14, 2026, at Carteret Health Care.

A funeral service to honor Anita’s life will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, June 19th Ann Street United Methodist Church in Beaufort officiated by Rev. Dena White. Interment will follow at Carteret Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends the evening prior from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m., Thursday, June 18th at Munden Funeral Home. For those unable to attend, the service can be viewed through her obituary page on Munden Funeral Home’s website.

Anita was born to Kenneth Neil and Alice Stewart Windley on April 29, 1947, in New Bern, NC. Anita grew up in Beaufort in a very loving family and was a proud graduate of the Class of 1965 which was the last class to graduate from Beaufort High School. She always loved to tell everyone that she was the very last person to graduate from BHS since her last name was Windley. She loved to socialize, dance and spend time with her friends when she was young.

She graduated from East Carolina University in 1969 where she was a member of Alpha Xi Delta Sorority and made many lifelong friends. After graduation she taught elementary school for one year and then spent the next 20 years raising her three children. She was a wonderful mother, and her children and grandchildren were her entire life. She taught 8th grade North Carolina History at Beaufort Middle School for 23 years. She was many students’ favorite teacher.

Anita was a lifelong member of Ann Street United Methodist church where she was baptized as were her children and grandchildren. She was on many church boards and a past member of the Hannah Ruth Circle. After retirement she enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, attending games and events for her grandchildren, and playing in a wonderful bridge club for over 40 years with her lifelong friends. She attended some wonderful experiences in her life including the D-Day 40th Anniversary in Normandy and Ronald Reagan’s inauguration in Washington DC. She loved to travel and her last trip was a family girls’ trip to London in 2019. She will be remembered for her laughter, sassiness, a love for clothes and shopping, her honest opinions, a love for history and her strong will and fight that allowed her family and friends an extra 7 years with her after she suffered a stroke. She was beautiful, fun, a wonderful friend, and an even better mother.

Anita is survived by her daughters, Allison Hardesty Bernauer and husband Korey of Beaufort, Caroline Hardesty Bird and husband Stephen of Holly Springs; daughter-in-law, Sheila Sloan Hardesty of Beaufort; brothers, Kenneth Neil Windley, Jr. and wife Gayle of Beaufort, and Royal Barbour Windley and wife Susan of West End; grandchildren, Jerry Thomas Hardesty III and wife Sarah, Jacob Stewart Hardesty and wife Leah, Callie Margaret Bernauer and Korey Maxton Bernauer, Jr. all of Beaufort, Stephen Caleb Bird and Reagan Mills Bird of Holly Springs; great-grandchildren, Gordon Stewart Hardesty and Jerry Thomas Hardesty IV; nieces, Laura Windley of Durham, Greer Windley Oliver and husband Hunter of Fortson, GA and Darcey Windley of Pinehurst; great-niece, Alice Jean Oliver; and many other extended family members and good friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her grandparents, B.E Windley and wife Margaret Barbour Windley, Floyd Walter Stewart and wife Alice Mills Stewart; and her beloved son, Jerry Thomas Hardesty, Jr.

The family would like to extend its thanks to the Staff of Crystal Bluffs who have cared for her the last 7 years.

Flowers are welcome or donations can be made to Ann Street United Methodist Church, 417 Ann Street, Beaufort, NC 28516 or the National Stroke Association, P.O. Box 840692, Dallas, TX 75284.

Family and friends are welcome to submit online condolences at www.mundenfuneralhome.net.

Arrangements by Munden Funeral Home & Crematory in Morehead City, NC.