- Date Of Birth: March 2, 1936
- Date Of Death: August 9, 2024
- State: Virginia
Carolyn Jean (Gordon) Harbarger, of Colonial Heights, Virginia, entered Heaven to join her family and friends on August 9, 2024. She passed away peacefully at the Bon Secours Hospice Community House. She is preceded in death by her husband, Phillip Harbarger, Sr., her parents Lemuel & Leona Gordon (Dublin, Ohio), her sister, Barbara Roberts (Columbus, Ohio), her in-laws Ruth & Walter Harbarger (Logan, Ohio) and many cousins.
Our Mom was born on March 2, 1936, in Columbus, Ohio, where they lived on Richardson Ave. and later moved to Dublin, Ohio. The family attended Avondale UMC (formerly U.B.). She also learned to play the piano and sang in the choirs. Carolyn attended West High School, was on the rope twirling team and graduated in 1954. The family also took in, various times, many cousins due to family circumstances and the family was blessed. She went to the Grant Hospital School of Nursing and graduated in 1957. Her first job was at Grant in the labor/delivery unit. After meeting her husband, Phillip, on a blind date, they were married on Jan. 31, 1960, moved to Logan, OH where Phil started teaching at Logan, HS, had three children, and became an at home mom. Phil later joined the American Red Cross (service to the military) in 1965, and the traveling journey began when he was assigned to Loring AFB in Maine in 1967.
In 1969, the family moved to Pirmasens US Army post in Germany. While there, the family traveled around Europe and Carolyn deeply enjoyed these journeys. She became the local Girl Scout and cookie chairman. She also headed up the post youth center’s annual carnival on the post. She was an ARC volunteer, teaching baby care to new parents. Phil and Carolyn also joined the Order of Eastern Star and became the worthy matron & patron. In 1972, Phil was assigned to Andrews AFB & Carolyn got a job with the Red Cross’s blood center in DC. She and her merry band of nurses went all around the region on the blood mobiles. One day, the head office called her that the next day’s blood mobile at the White House was going to have a very special donor, President Jimmy Carter, and she was the nurse to do the donation! She got her picture in the newspaper far and wide, including Paris, France. During their six years in northern VA, Mom became very involved with Job’s Daughters when their daughters joined as well as being involved with the Shriners when Phil joined. In 1978, Phil was assigned to Howard AFB, Panama. The family moved there and had 4 great years, traveling around the country, to Costa Rica and Columbia. Carolyn worked as an RN at Gorgas US Army Hospital. She and Phil joined the OES, post chapel, became a Rainbow Girl’s Mom, a DeMolay Mom and once again helping with the local Shriner’s temple. Back in Virginia in 1982, they landed in Norfolk, VA (member of Aldersgate, UMC), working as an RN at Portsmouth General and then onto Colonial Heights, VA. She began working at Kenner Army Community Hospital (now clinic) at Ft. Lee (now Gregg-Adams) in 1985 until she retired in 2004. She loved being a nurse, helping her patients, soldiers, and dependents, in so many ways. Carolyn & Phil “adopted” many of the young medics, bringing them to house for suppers, holidays, and fun times. Again, Carolyn and Phil became involved with the Shriner’s and the Petersburg Shrine Club. The couple enjoyed several cruises and had several trips to Europe. They joined Wesley UMC in Colonial Heights, in 1985. She was at the heart of the hospitality committee with Phil and many friends, including Tweet and Gordon Stancel. She also was part of the United Methodist Women. She never wanted to see families needing help. Carolyn helped the drives for school supplies, health & sewing kits, food banks and the backpack blessings program. She was a very active member of the Christian Adventure Class for many years. She also loved singing the old and favorite hymns in church and in the class up till she no longer was able to come to church.
The last weeks of her life were at the Colonial Heights Convalescent Center. She was transferred to the hospice house on August 8 and passed away on August 9.
Carolyn is survived by her three children: Diana Harbarger (and Nutmeg the poodle), Colonial Heights; Brenda (Jeff) Patch of South Chesterfield, VA; and Phillip JR (Lori) of San Antonio, TX.
She is also survived by three grandchildren: Jacob Wolfe of Logan, OH, Amber (Anna) Harbarger of Columbus, OH and James Harbarger of Colonial Heights. Also surviving are three cousins in Ohio and West Virginia along with many friends from work and church.
James Harris will be providing special music using the hymns that exemplified her life.
