Richard Allan Harmon is known for being a quiet, gentle man who was generous with what he had and served the Lord with his whole being. He had a great sense of humor and could tell a pun off the cuff. But what people really liked about Richard was how he listened and actively engaged in conversation with everyone. He always had thoughtful things to say and would ask most anyone, “Now where are you from? Oh, yes I know where that is, I used to live near there.” Or he would say, “Yes. I have been there.”
He liked to hear about other people’s lives. When he worked at the food bank he would get actively involved with the customers and the other volunteers. He loved working at the food bank in Port Townsend. “A generous person will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.” Proverbs 22:9
Richard was born at Tacoma General Hospital in Tacoma. He spent the first 12 years of his life in Eatonville, Wash. at the base of Mount Rainier. He helped his Mom in the vegetable garden in his formative years and also helped his Dad with the chickens and turkeys. At twelve, he moved to Kirkland, Wash. where he lived with his younger brother and parents until he was 20. He attended Lake Washington High School and graduated in 1955.
At age 18, he attended the University of Washington for one year and then began working at Boeing as a foreman. At age 20, he was drafted into the Army (corporal) and after two years went back to work for Boeing on the MinuteMan Missile project in the Midwest. He lived in North Dakota, Alabama, Missouri, and Montana for 13 years.
During that time, he met and married Antionette Dasinger (Toni). She had a young daughter named Laurie. They moved to Spokane and had a son between them named William. Richard worked for the Washington State Department of Transportation as a toll bridge manager in Spokane. The four of them lived in Spokane for 19 years. His stepdaughter, Laurie Burchell, still lives in Spokane with her husband and family.
After raising their children, Richard and Toni moved down to Greenberry, Ore. They ran a tavern for five years and then moved back to Washington and lived in Port Townsend. In Port Townsend, they enjoyed the retired life and also did some traveling. Toni passed away from lung cancer in 2012 and Richard began to volunteer at the Port Townsend Food Bank.
While volunteering, Shirley Moss, the director of the food bank, introduced Richard to Sarah Barton. The two were fast friends and read the chronological Bible together (Richard rededicated his life to Christ). They also went on long walks (sometimes 10 miles), talking the whole way. After a year and a half, they decided to get married. They were married on August third, 2014 in Port Townsend and made their home in Poulsbo for five-and-a-half years. Sarah’s daughter, Hannah, came to live with them in 2018. They then decided they missed Port Townsend and moved back at the end of Richard’s life for about two years.
Richard was a member of North Kitsap Baptist Church for 5 years and then became a regular attendee of Calvary Community Church in 2021. He was a volunteer at the Port Townsend Food Bank, Good Cheer Food Bank (Whidbey Island), Fishline Food Bank (Poulsbo), and the Martinson Cabin (Poulsbo Historical Society).
Richard was a prolific reader. He loved the Bible, history, geography, politics, archeology, health and wellness publications. His favorite author was C.S. Lewis. He was very intelligent. He also enjoyed gardening and woodworking. He was a sous chef in his wife Sarah’s kitchen.
“But the noble man makes noble plans and by noble deeds he stands.” Isaiah 32:8
Richard was predeceased by his parents Wilford Harmon and Helen Lange. He is survived by Sarah Barton (wife), William Harmon (son from Antionette Harmon), Laurie Burchell (step-daughter from Antoinette Harmon), Hannah McVay (step-daughter from Sarah Barton) and Dale Lee Harmon (brother) and his spouse Linda Harmon and five known grandchildren.
Services will be held at Calvary Community Church on August 26, 2023, at 2 p.m. Memorial contributions can be made to PO Box 637 Port Hadlock, WA. 98339.
