Roger Alan Harding

November 25, 1929 - August 17, 2019

Posted

Roger Alan Harding, 89, of Port Townsend, passed away peacefully at his home in Port Townsend on August 17, 2019. He was a forester, a devoted husband and father, and a servant to his church and community.

Born in 1929 to Robert and Anna Harding of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Roger was active in the Boy Scouts and served as a youth scoutmaster during World War II when his scoutmaster went to serve in the war. He regretted never achieving the Eagle Award. Later in life, he served as the Charter Representative for Troop 1477 of Port Townsend for many years. After spending time in Washington State as a teenager, he decided he wanted to become a forester one day.

Roger served in the Air Force as a parachute rigger from 1948-1952. He was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska and Hamilton, California. He became a parachutist himself a few years later when he served as a smokejumper at North Cascades Smokejumper base in Winthrop, Washington.

He received his bachelor’s degree in Forestry from the University of Washington in 1956. He worked for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources from 1956-1982, where he retired as a Manager of Land Inventory, Mapping and Aerial Photography programs. He was proud to help bring satellite imagery and computer mapping to the state of Washington in the 1970’s. He was a Fellow in the Society of American Foresters and served as state chairman and local chairman of the Admiralty Inlet Chapter.

Roger married the love of his life, Betty Carolyn Harris, on October 20, 1956. They met on a blind date when they were both students at the University of Washington. They raised their three children, Joan, Janice and Ronald in Olympia. After their children were grown, they spent the first years of their retirement as Peace Corps volunteers in Senegal, West Africa. In 1988, they came to the Port Townsend area to be close to their first grandchild.

Roger and Betty were active in the Presbyterian Church, both at the United Churches in Olympia and the First Presbyterian in Port Townsend, where they served as elders, Roger was BSA charter representative, and a trustee. They always had a large garden and orchard and donated much of their produce to the local food bank. Roger and his family enjoyed hiking, camping and exploring in Washington and on trips throughout the United States and Canada. In retirement, Roger and Betty enjoyed learning about forestry in other countries during SAF sponsored trips to Australia and New Zealand, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom.

Roger was an avid handball player, starting the sport at the University of Washington. He played for many years in Olympia and Tumwater, and later in Sequim. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing.

He is survived by his wife, Betty, in Port Townsend; daughter Joan Hendricks (Eric) of Brinnon, WA; daughter Janice Ranck (Brian) of Rio Rico, AZ; son Ronald of Boise ID; three grandchildren, Raymond Hendricks of Seattle, WA, Jasper Hendricks of Marlin, WA and Claire LeVeck of Spokane, WA; and his sister, Barbara Hines (Norman) of Sioux Falls, SD.

A memorial service will be held at a future date.