Donie J Harmon

Yesterday we lost a truly great man, my Pawpaw. My grandpa grew up in Los Angeles, CA where he graduated high school and joined the Air Force. He ended up stationed at Chennault in Lake Charles where he met my Mawmaw and he packed up his Cajun bride and moved her to Los Angeles, where he later got a job at a steel factory and worked his way up to a managerial position, and they started their family.

My Pawpaw valued and embodied a strong work ethic and was an iron-willed individual til his last breath. In the 1980s my grandparents packed up their family and headed to Louisiana where they bought 10 acres in the country in Lebleu Settlement and my Pawpaw built them a beautiful brick home from the ground up that holds so many memories of our family throughout time. I asked my Pawpaw once how he learned how to build a house and he said, “I read a book.” My grandpa was a man of intellect and always enjoyed staying up to date with the latest technology. I was the lucky grandchild who got to be my Pawpaw’s sidekick when I was just a tot while my mom went to work.

I don’t have a memory from that that age, but I’ve heard the stories of riding the vacuum cleaner and hiding in between the clothes racks when he took me to Walmart. My Pawpaw was also lover of games, he taught me how to play checkers, Sorry, Uno, backgammon (his favorite), and also the 9s trick for my multiplication table. My mom refers to my grandpa as her hero, it really seemed like he could fix anything from a home repair to one of the many problems my first car had. When I close my eyes and see my Pawpaw, I see him walking from his house to his shop in his white shirt, khaki shorts, and air force veteran hat to work on his current fix or project.

It is hard to say goodbye to someone who has always been a prominent figure in my life, but I find solace in knowing he is not stuck in his aged body that could not keep up with his energetic spirit. You can’t have a great man without a great woman by your side and my Mawmaw, Gail Harmon, was just that. They were each other’s right hand for the last 60+ years and I know this will be a challenging transition. Thank you Mawmaw for taking such good care of Pawpaw. I know the last year has not been easy on you. I ask for prayers and love to my Mawmaw, my mom, and their other 3 children as they navigate this great loss. And if anyone is missing my Pawpaw’s dry sense of humor, you don’t have to go far just go hangout with my mom for a little bit. We love you Pawpaw, and you are already so missed.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Paul Harmon and Erma Hodge Harmon; sisters, Ruth Moore and Nadine Fairchild.

Survivors are his wife, Gail Harmon; children, Jonathan Harmon, Donie Roger Harmon (Arleen), Heather Ramirez, Valerie Cooper; grandchildren, Courtney Harmon, Christine Eubanks (Drew), Ambriel Dobbins, and Donovan Harmon.

Cremation has been entrusted to Johnson & Brown Funeral Home of Iowa. Memorial services will be held at a later date.