Dan Harding
RINGGOLD — Dan Nelson Harding, 76, completed his earthly race on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019, after more than 23-years with Parkinson’s disease and a recent diagnosis of cancer.
Dan was born in Chattanooga on May 15, 1942, to the late Oscar and Sallie Harding. A 1960 graduate of Lakeview High School, Dan studied engineering at Tennessee Tech before transferring to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he earned a B.S. in Business. He married his sweetheart, Janice Bozeman in 1964.
Dan moved to Seattle, Wash., to work for The Boeing Company. Several years later, the U.S. Government recruited him, and he began an almost 30-year career with the U.S. Census Bureau in Maryland and Washington D.C. where he was the Chief of the Division of Boundary and Annexation.
While living in Maryland, Dan was a president of the Marlboro Boys and Girls Club and an active member at Cheltenham United Methodist Church. He took great delight in coaching his children’s sports teams. Most recently, he was an avid reader, enjoyed playing golf, and had an excellent talent for refinishing antique furniture. He had a knack for seeing the potential in not only people but in antiques as well. Through meticulous attention to detail, he could restore a broken-down piece to its original beauty. He also enjoyed time on his porch with Janice, long days in his workshop and counted the days before visits with his children and four granddaughters.
A devoted husband of more than 54 years and a loving father and grandfather, Dan was a follower of Christ. He was a member at Boynton United Methodist Church. And he was known for his fierce commitment to his family, sense of humor, contagious smile, kindness, gentleness and fun-loving nature. He loved to make friends and family laugh, gave great big bear hugs and had a handshake that enveloped the hand that was shaking it. In his last days, his wish was to spend time with family, have thoughts of Christ and enjoy chocolate chip cookies (as well as donuts and milkshakes.)
Dan is survived by his wife, Janice Bozeman Harding; his son, Daniel and wife Kristin Harding, of Clemson, S.C.; his daughter, Julia and husband Matthew, of Atlanta, Ga.; granddaughters, Alexandra Claire and Eva Greer, of Clemson and Ruby Jane and Annie Rose, of Atlanta, and sister, Marilyn Harding Shigley and brother Bernie Harding, of Rockford, Ill.
He was preceded in death by his father, Oscar Brown Harding, of Rockford, Ill.; his mother, Sallie Mason Harding, of Rossville; and his brother, Don Harding, of Mooresville, N.C. Also, very close to Dan was his late father and mother-in-law George and Ruby Bozeman, of Chickamauga, as well as Janice’s siblings, George, Tommy, Johnny, and Cyndi Bozeman.