Jim Eugene Harden

Jim Eugene Harden was born June 26, 1926, to parents Cecil “Rex” Harden, and Alice Lily Meade Harden at their home in Havre, Montana. Three years later, Jim’s younger sister Sally was born. 

The great depression started when Jim was three. About a year later, his family moved to Washington state, where his dad worked picking fruit and his mother worked in a cannery. A year or so later, they moved back to Havre. All of Jim’s schooling was in area schools in the Havre area. 

When Jim was in high school, World War II started. Shortly before his 18th birthday in 1944, Jim enlisted in the Navy. 

Jim was assigned to a new destroyer called the USS Hadley. He and his shipmates were involved in the Battle of Okinawa. He was wounded in a Kamikaze attack and received the purple heart medal. After recovering in a Navy hospital on Guam, he rejoined his ship when it was towed back to California. 

Near Saipan they were caught in a typhoon. It was a harrowing three or four days, but the tow line held during the typhoon, so they all survived. Later, when the ocean was calm, the tow line broke – nine times!

After Jim got out of the service in 1946, he returned to his hometown, Havre, MT. His father had a painting and paper hanging business. Jim worked part time for his father and went to Northern Montana College. During his time in college, he met a beautician from Nashua Montana (about 200 miles east of Havre) named Lila Cherney. They were married on July 1, 1949. 

Jim got a job at Fort Peck, Montana working as a civilian employee at Fort Peck Dam, where their first two children, Richard and Penny were born in nearby Glasgow. When Fort Peck Dam had a reduction in force, they moved to Riverdale, North Dakota to work at Garrison Dam. Diane was born in Riverdale. 

In 1956, Jim heard that an airbase in the Sacramento area called McClellan AFB was hiring civilian employees. He applied and was accepted. Jim retired from McClellan AFB in 1986. 

In 1956 they bought a house in North Highlands. They lived in that home more than 62 years. Jim and Lila moved into assisted living in 2018. Lila passed away in 2021.

Jim trusted the Lord Jesus as his Savior as an adult. He loved to usher and ushered at every church they attended from the mid-1970s through the 2019. People often referred to him as the “friendly usher”. He loved to greet people. He was involved in the worship choir at Carmichael Bible Church, and he taught elementary age Sunday School boys there for a number of years. 

Jim was 98 years young when he went home to be with the Lord on September 2, 2024, at his home in Carmichael. His parents, sister and wife all proceeded him in death. He is survived by his son Richard (and wife Kandace), his daughters Penny and Diane (and husband Joseph Frizzi); eleven grandchildren, 33 great grandchildren and 4 great great grandchildren.