Kieran Hardiman

Kieran passed away peacefully in his sleep due to complications from a stroke and vascular dementia at the Morgan Creek Seniors Community.

He is survived by his wife Mindy (52 years), children Sean (Laura), Justin (Amie), Kevin (Helen), Stephanie (Luke) and his six grandchildren; his brothers, Brendan and Eugene; and many nieces and nephews in Ireland and Canada. He was predeceased by his parents Alice and Seán Hardiman, brother Enda, and sisters Ita and Helena. 

Kieran was born in Headford, County Galway in 1945. He came from an Irish Catholic family growing up in the west of Ireland speaking Gaelic (Irish) as his first language. He attended a country primary school where his dad was headmaster, after which he attended secondary school at Garbally College boarding school. At Garbally, he was involved in all sports, in particular Irish Hurling, gaelic football, soccer, and rugby. 

He always wanted to fly as a pilot and obtained his British commercial pilots license at Manchester College, In 1965, he immigrated to Canada to pursue his flying dream. Initially, he grew his hours flying his own float plane and giving other pilots their floatplane endorsements. Over his career he flew for Lamb Air, Perimeter Aviation, Quebecair, Nordair, Martinair, and in 1969, was hired by Pacific Western Airlines (PWA), later undergoing changed airline names with the mergers resulting in Canadian Airlines, and finally Air Canada. His flying career lasted 37 years, flying in Canada's north, throughout the world on PWA's Boeing 707 freighter, and then flying passengers as a captain on the Boeing 737, Airbus A320, closing out his career on the Boeing 767. 

The B707 freighter took him all over the world and there were few places he had not been. It was not unusual for him to circumnavigate the world in one month. This was a time before there was GPS as we know it, high speed telephone and internet, and frequently, his exact whereabouts were unknown to everyone, including his wife and the company. He later spent many years flying domestic routes and ended his career flying to Asia and Australia. He always had a tennis racket, golf clubs, and the essential documents - usually several newspapers and business magazines – on board. Life was a continuous adventure.

In 1974, Kieran married Mindy Apps. They settled in White Rock, BC on five acres where they had a hobby farm, including cattle, geese, and chickens, while raising four children. Life was busy and at times challenging, but despite being away for work, Kieran was actively involved in the community. He coached soccer and golf and supported Mindy in her community sport organization leadership. He was a master in selling advertising for the many swimming meets in which his kids competed. 

Kieran had a special ability to connect with people whether it was on a flying trip, with different crews, on the golf course, the tennis court or in a pub with friends. Kieran could fill the room with his Irish humour and his storytelling. He made friends easily and from every walk of life, from prime ministers and finance ministers to NHL hockey players he had on his flights, to people in the pub during layovers, or the crew on his flight, Kieran could make anyone feel seen, heard, and valued. 

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, September 25, 2026, at 1:00 PM at the Morgan Creek Golf Course Clubhouse, 3500 Morgan Creek Way, Surrey BC. 

If you plan on attending, please RSVP to Mindy Hardiman at mindy04@gmail.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Kieran’s memory may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of British Columbia or the charity of your choice.