Don Haggard
Don A. Harding, 79, of Hillsboro died July 12, 2002, at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro.
Born July 7, 1923, at Yankton, S.D., he was the son of Leonard and Leoti (Patrick) Harding.
He was raised on a farm in Lake Andres, S.D., with his father and younger brother. His mother died when he nine years old.
He attended a country school for eight years. The family moved from the farm to Oregon in 1937.
In 1939, he and his family and other South Dakota relatives moved to Torrance, Calif. While in high school, he worked in a bank and delivered newspapers.
After graduation, he was employed at U.S. Steel where he worked for 38 years.
In 1943, he joined the armed forces and was assigned to the photo recognizance division of the Air Force in Biloxi, Miss.
In July of 1943, he went to Forbes Air Force base in Topeka, where he met his future wife Mildred Ann Yoder. The couple were married Oct. 17, 1943, in Clements.
In 1945, he was stationed for a year at Schilling Air Force Base. In August of that year, he was sent to the mid-Pacific on a troop ship and was assigned duty on the island of Okinawa. In March of 1946, they moved to California.
He was a charter member of B.P.O. Elks Lodge and served as secretary for 10 years. He was a trustee and an officer for the TOR-ELK, Inc. Corporation for the lodge.
He rented and renovated homes for nearly 50 years. He enjoyed traveling.
Harding retired in 1980, and the couple purchased a condo in Torrance, Calif., where he refinished cabinets for the residents there.
In 1989, they moved to Kansas and began their bed and breakfast in July of 1990. He was a member of Hillsboro United Methodist Church and served as chairman of the memorial committee.
Survivors include his wife of Hillsboro; daughter Karen and her husband Steve Kealey of Abilene; grandchildren, Aaron and his wife Rebecca Kealey and Darrel and his wife Kerry Kealey, all of Wichita; and one great-grandson, Alec of Wichita.
Services were held July 16 at Hillsboro United Methodist Church with R. Laney Kuhn officiating. Burial was at Haven of Rest Cemetery in rural Hillsboro.
Organist was Kathy Decker, and Rod Koons was the soloist.
Casketbearers were Glenn Yoder, James Yoder, Aaron Kealey, and Darrel Kealey.
A memorial has been established with the Hillsboro Evening Lions Scholarship Fund.
