Grace D. Harden

Grace D. Harden, age 91, died peacefully at her home in Dahlonega, Georgia, on February 14, 2026. After a three-year battle with complications from radiation treatments for cancer, she was in the care of Appalachian Hospice and was attended at home by her daughters, Janice and Anne. Grace was born in Ben Hill County, Georgia, on March 18, 1934. She grew up in Fitzgerald and Milledgeville before her family moved to Reidsville, where she graduated from Reidsville High School as Salutatorian of the Class of 1951. She then lived in Claxton for over 20 years where she was a “stay at home mother” while her daughters grew up. After that, she embarked on a career as a receptionist, working until age 77 doing something she loved – talking to people. She served various employers in Savannah, Georgia, and Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina, but her favorite position was working for DuPont and Day and Zimmerman Engineering in Charlotte. Grace also loved reading, collecting antiques, and traveling. During the latter part of her lifetime, she visited all 50 states – 48 of them by RV. She especially enjoyed trips out West and to the Amish country in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Grace lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, while her grandsons, who always called her Grandmommie, were growing up in South Carolina. She was always close enough to do lots of babysitting and to attend numerous baseball games, from T-Ball to high school varsity. She is now Grandmommie to four great-grandchildren and they have been the delight of her life for the last six years. Grace was a Christian of the Baptist faith, most recently a member of Lakewood Baptist Church in Gainesville, Georgia, where she was also a member of the Vision Seekers Sunday School class. Before moving back to Georgia from North Carolina, she was a member of First Baptist Church of Matthews and the Abundant Life class there. Grace was predeceased by her parents, George and Edith Dooley of Reidsville, Georgia. She is survived by her daughter Janice Harden of Dahlonega, Georgia; her daughter and son-in-law Anne and Jim Holt of Young Harris, Georgia; her grandson Grant Holt, his wife Chelsea and their sons Hudson and Ridge of Clermont, Georgia; her grandson Graham Holt, his wife Tory and their children Gracen and Darby of Simpsonville, South Carolina; her brother and sister-in-law Wilburn and Linda Dooley of Reidsville, Georgia; and several nieces and nephews. She will also be missed by her cats, Shalimar and SaraSue. Per Grace’s request, there will be no funeral service. Her remains will be cremated, with the ashes to be interred at Reidsville City Cemetery at a later date. Her family will also gather to celebrate her life with a butterfly release in the near future.