She met and married her husband, Kenneth Harmon, in 1944 and they moved back to his hometown of Hope shortly after. Kenneth and Ethel welcomed two daughters, Vigi and Sandra, to their small family. They then set about making a life in Southwest Arkansas, which was vastly different from the mountains she had known growing up in and around Fayetteville.
Raising a family with meager resources was a challenge for many in those days, but Grandma adapted by becoming an expert seamstress, an expert cook, an expert at loving and babysitting children and doing whatever job was available so her little family had what they needed.
The year 1950 marked the first time she attended the First Assembly of God Church on North Main Street. Now, 76 years later she is the oldest living member, beloved and respected by all. Her faith has been a most important part of her 100 years and has uplifted and guided her through life’s twists and turns.
When her daughter, Sandy, passed away from cancer in 1979 at age 29, she left two young daughters, Michawn who was four years old, and Heather who was one. Through her grief, Grandma did what she was put on this earth to do. She stood in the gap, and became the Momma to those little girls. When her husband, Kenneth, passed suddenly at age 59, Grandma knew adversity and pain once again. Her faith and family pulled her over another mountain and gave her strength to help so many others through their own trials and tribulations.
She has truly lived the life of a loving and godly woman who has left an indelible mark on her family, friends and community. Representative Henley noted her years of friendship to Harmon and the family, and congratulates her on this incredible milestone, and thanks her for her giving spirit to so many throughout these many years. Happy Birthday Grandma!
After the ceremony, Harmon gave an interview in which she said her first job was picking crops at age eight in the Northwest Arkansas fields. "I picked strawberries for two cents a quart, green beans for one cent a pound, and grapes, a basket of grapes was five cents, I can remember. That was my first job. And I haven't ever forgot it, and I still would, if I was able to work."
As for the key to reaching age 100, Harmon was very clear, "Don't stay in bed all day, every day. Get up and get busy. Work. If you can do it, do it and rest if you need to rest. And that's something I've always done," she said.
Harmon also explained what she found to be the most astonishing upgrade in technology during her lifetime. "One of the best things I had when we bought that house out on Blue Street and moved into that house, we had electricity, we had a bathroom, and I was just--you just don't know how happy. That's one of my biggest events."
This story contains additional reporting by Jeff Smithpeters
(Pictured above front row l-r) Vigi Powers, Ethel Harmon w Lily Easterling (great great granddaughter)Representative Dolly Henley-. Back row-l-r Michawn Davis,Heather Easterling-(granddaughters),Aaron Easterling, Seth Easterling and Sandra Grace Easterling,(great grandchildren).
