William Harding

William Marion Harding, the son of Charles Nathaniel and Katherine (Grandis) Harding was born on June 5, 1918, at Volunteer, SD. In 1918, the family moved near Bergen, MN, where he attended local schools. In May 1942, William was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served in Australia, New Guinea (where he contrated Malaria), and the Philippine Island of Luzon. He earned a Bronze Star during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. Following his honorable discharge in December 1945, he returned home. On January 31, 1946, William was united in marriage to Mable Carol Sneer in Fairmont, MN. William worked for Johnson Livestock and Toro before moving to Redwood, CA in 1963, where he worked for Folgers Coffee as a forklift operator. In 1971,they returned to live in Mountain Lake, MN, where he worked once again for Toro until his retirement in 1980. He was a member of the American Legion Post 206 in Windom, MN, and he enjoyed hunting and fishing. William Harding, 88 ,of Mountain Lake, MN died on Monday, October 2, 2006 at his home In Mountain Lake, MN. William is survived by a step-son, Eugene and his wife Gloria Hart of Waseca, MN; four grandchildren; several great grandchildren; a brother, Joseph Harding of Wabasso, MN; many other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Mable Harding on January 22, 1996; a son, William Harding Jr in 2002; a brother, Frank Harding; and a sister, Elizabeth Leach.