Edward P. Harding

Edward Parish Harding passed away, reluctantly, at home with his family around him on April 4, 2022. The cause was what used to be referred to as "old age." He was aware that his aged body owed him nothing – he had demanded and received a lot from it in his 86 years! Ed was born January 6, 1936, the second son of Charles Lewis Harding Jr. and Marie Parish Harding. He is survived by his bride of 61 years, Margaret (Peggy) Bright Harding; three children: Margaret (Mimi) Harding Owen and her husband John Owen of New Canaan, CT, Marie Parish Harding and her husband Jeff Curran of Bedford, NH, and Edward (Ned) Parish Harding Jr. and his wife Nathalie Smith of Boulder, CO; sister Marie (Flash) Harding of Santa Fe, NM, and brother Henry Harding and his wife Mary Harding of York, ME; six wonderous grandchildren: Martie Curran and her husband Alberto Arnedo Ruiz, James Curran, Caroline and Maggie Owen, and Calais and Lizzie Harding; and two step-grandchildren: Charles and Henry Sharpe. He was predeceased by his older brother, Charles Harding.

He attended Miss Stoddart's School for Very Little People, Locust Valley, NY, George Mason School,  Alexandria, VA, Greenvale School, Brookville, NY, St. Paul’s School, '54, Harvard, '58, and Harvard Business School, ‘71 AMP.

He wondered why anyone in 1936 would want to bring a child into the world of the Depression and pending war but later appreciated the opportunities. Critically, he was available when Peggy Bright came along. He considered April 8, 1961, their wedding day, to be the greatest day of his life. He joined Springs Mills Inc. in 1958 as a sales trainee and was stationed in New York, Boston, Montreal, San Francisco, and New York. Twenty years later he was president of the Apparel Fabrics Division. When the US textile industry collapsed in the mid 80’s, he created Barn Hill Company, selling high-end European fabric. He lived in Greenwich, CT, for 53 years and more recently in York, ME.

Surviving numerous “bodily procedures” he believed that "someone up there" was watching over him and became a devoted church member. He served on the board of Greenwich Country Day School, Studio in a School (40 years), and on the vestry of St Barnabas Church in Greenwich. He was also an enthusiastic supporter of SOLA, School of Leadership Afghanistan.  An accomplished athlete, he was an age-group national squash champion three times, ran one marathon, and spent countless hours chasing the wily trout and salmon. His other hobbies included debating matters of great importance or true silliness with his grandchildren, splitting logs, digging post holes, swinging racquets of all sorts, and exploring the waters near his beloved York Harbor, ME.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to the York Land Trust, 1 Long Neck Marsh Road, York, ME 03909; Studio in a School, 75 West End Avenue, New York, NY 10023; or SOLA, School of Leadership Afghanistan, 75 State Street, Suite 100, Boston, MA 02109.

A Celebration of Life will be held on June 24, 2022 at 11am in the Trinity Episcopal Church, York Harbor, ME.