Nicknamed Rocky Hard at birth, he never answered to Gregory Lynn Hard. Rock Hard was a living legend throughout his life and now, truly a legend. What is it that made this man so meaningful to so many? It's what he called following the Path of Heart. He made his own way focused on the desire to give love and understand, in order to deliver his best quality of work. This is what made Rocky a remarkable jeweler and human. He believed knowledge was the answer and his hunger for understanding allowed him to always be open to people, theory and artifacts that came his way. He was the best storyteller ever; many of his stories sounded too wild to be real, but the best stories are always true. He was captivating as he shared his own adventures across the globe and through spiritual realms, but also of the world in eras past. Rock was a caretaker of history. At the age of 5, his parents relocated to Pensacola, FL and it remained his beloved home for the next 6 decades. He always believed in the revitalization of historic downtown Pensacola and in 1994 consolidated all of his stores and artifact collections into the one large gallery and museum on Palafox. He felt honored to be recognized for contributing and investing in Palafox when it was named one of America's Great Places in 2013. Rocky was an incredible teacher and sparked a fire within many about gemstones, metals, artifacts and life itself. One thing he taught is to always acknowledge the lesson; and from his life we can learn much. One of the reasons Rocky accomplished, saw and loved so much was because he never second-guessed and took action. Rock Hard's curiosity of life, sense of adventure, vibrant passionate energy, dedication to family, artistic touch, intuitive designing of jewelry, and creating "Burning Water" in metal are what we will always remember. Rocky was born in the Naval Hospital in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on July 15, 1949. The 2nd son of two WWII Veterans, Rocky was always mindfully respectful to those who served. Rocky is preceded in death by Hugh Owen Hard (father), Marilyn Hard (wife), Charles "Carlos" Hard (brother). Survivors include his mother, Helen Slepsky (Ray), Chip (brother), Chele (Sister), Carla (Wife), and Children: Chloe' (Beau), Mariel, Brittany, Michael & Tristan; Grandchildren: Kylie, Ripley & Lottie. Memorial celebration will be held from 1-3pm on Sunday, January 25th at Fred Simmons': 202 Ariola Drive, Pensacola Beach, FL 32561 and will include the Surfer's Memorial Waves of the Gulf & Native American Ceremony with music provided by John Ripley. Please bring loose flowers to place in the water. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to some of Rocky's fondest organizations: Sacred Heart NICU (Rocky and his 1st grandson were both Preemies) c/o SH Foundation networkforgood.org; and the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival, Inc. P.O. Box 10744, Pensacola, FL 32524 (501c3 Charity). Special Thanks to Dr. Roger & Barbara Orth, Dr. Watkins, Dr. Lowery, Fred Simmons & Vicki Baroco.