Frank Harmon-Later Years

While they were in Hawaii, word came that F.N. Harmon's fifth grandchild, Carol, had been born to Ruth and Frank W. Harmon in Queens, N.Y.C. (9 July 1959). To the right is a picture of her at one year of age.

To the left is a picture of Frank N. Harmon and Lillian on the streets of Honolulu.

While in Hawaii, they tried out surfing,

and checked out the tourist sites in Hawaii such as the Punchbowl Cemetery.

In Laie (where F.N. Harmon was born in 1895), they toured the Church College of Hawaii.

They returned to California on board the SS Matsonia in July 1959 as shown on the roster at the left.

In Provo Duane had finished his master's degree in August 1959 and started a job at Montclair State College in New Jersey in September 1959.

F.N. Harmon continued his work with grapes in Fresno.

At right is a picture taken of him about 1960.

In 1960 he traveled with Duane and Lillian to see Montclair and N.Y.C. On the left is a picture taken on the way at the Hill Cumorah.

Frank's daughter, Lillian made the move to New York City the following year in 1961. She had finished her master's degree at the University of Utah and moved to NYC to work on a doctor's degree at Teachers College. She worked at the Agnes Russell Elementary School (a service school for children of TC graduate students) and took classes at the university.

Duane worked full time at Montclair until the end of the 1962 academic year. He then began his residency at Teachers College while teaching part time at Montclair. The location of the Washington Bridge made the trip from Montclair to Teachers Collge a bit more convenient.

In August 1962 F.N. Harmon traveled to Orderville for the funeral of Chastie Esplin (widow of Lillie Esplin Harmon's oldes t brother, Israel). To the right are the gravestones of Chastie and Israel in the Orderville Cemetery.

At the funeral he and Israel's daughter, Emily Esplin Tanner got reacquainted enough to decide to get married. They were married the 22nd of November 1962.

Emily had a grown daughter, Jo Ellen. She is shown at right in a later picture when she had two children.

Emily also had a son named Leo,

and a very small dog whose name I don't know.

A year later in 1963 Frank W. finished his doctorate at Teachers College and returned to Utah to teach at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Meantime, Frank N. Harmon's mother's health had gradually declined after 1955 when she was 84. To the right is a picture of her on her 84th birthday. She took turns living with daughters in the St.George area. On the 10th of November 1964 at age 93, she died. Death Certificate for Alice Woodbury Harmon

He wrote two scholarly publications after 1958 - one on a method of grafting (notice his hands on the cover),

and one on seedlessness in grapes. He was also involved in the development of the flame grape and a rootstock which was highly resistant to disease. ( named the "Harmony" after him)

In 1965 he retired from work with the government. He continued to work with grapes on his "farm" at 1742 S. Cedar raising flame cuttings for farmers eager to produce the new grape.

The big wedding year was 1967 - both Duane and Lillian were married that summer. Lillian married Gene Heil, a convert to the Church as of the 9th of June 1963. They met in the choir of the Manhattan Ward.

Gene was a free-lance photographer/interior designer whose studio had gone into bankruptcy just prior to his joining the Church (leaving him looking for something in life to hold on to). He found the missionaries on the subway and true to his love of fine architecture insisted that all his lessons be given in the beautiful old mansion on Fifth Avenue which was the Eastern States Mission Home and Office.

They returned to Provo and had an open house at Frank W. Harmon's newly completed home Provo home on 1393 Apple Avenue.

To the right are the portraits Gene did of Frank W. Harmon and Ruth Rockwood Harmon.

Having F.N. Harmon in Manhattan for the wedding gave Lillian and Gene a chance to show him the sights in N.Y.C. Gene was delighted to find that his father-in-law was enthusiastic about everything even though he sometimes fell asleep during some of the trips on which he was taken.

Duane finished work on his doctorate and accepted a job at Southern Connecticut State College in New Haven. So the Duane Harmon family moved to New Haven.

Meanwhile F.N. Harmon's stepson Leo was growing up. To the left is a picture of F.N.Harmon, Emily and Leo.

Frank N. Harmon and Leo joined Frank's school friend from St.George, Frank Crosby, on a trip to Mexico (probably Tijuana).

In June of 1968 Lillian and her husband Gene were visiting his mother in upstate New York. To the left is a picture of his mother,Louise Lieber in front of the gate house at Long Lake, New York.

Gene was killed in an automobile accident as he returned to Long Lake late at night after doing some free- lance photography. To the right is the funeral service which was held in Manhattan.

Gene was buried in the small cemetery at Long Lake with F.N. Harmon dedicating the grave. His mother (who died in 1982) is in the grave beside Gene.

In June of 1969, F.N. Harmon's 6th grandchild was born - Brian Harmon, son of Duane and Lynette Harmon. To the right is a picture of him at age 5 months. Birth Certificate for Brian Harmon

After finishing the work on her doctorate Lillian Harmon Heil took a job at Church College of Hawaii and moved to Laie in time for the fall semester 1969.

In September 1969 Frank N. Harmon joined the members of the 338th Field Artillery for their 50 year anniversary. To the right is a picture of him with some of his army buddies.

Later that month in 1969, F.N. Harmon's second wife, Emily died of heart trouble. To the left is her gravestone in the Orderville Cemetery. Death Certificate for Emily Esplin Tanner Harmon

Duane's wife Lynette received the sealing cancellation for her marriage to Gilbert Francis Dorgan on July 20, 1970. On August 14, 1970, the family joined together in the Salt Lake Temple to see Lynette, Duane and Brian sealed as a family.

In the fall of 1970 Frank N. Harmon's oldest grandchild, Brent, was called to a Spanish speaking mission in California.

During part of that time he was in Fresno where he was able to visit his grandfather occasionally.

In September 1971 his seventh grandchild was born - Karen Lillie to Duane and Lynette Harmon in Connecticut. Birth Certificate for Karen Harmon

F.N. Harmon often made trips to visit his brothers and sisters. To the left is a picture of him with his youngest brother Elmer and Elmer's son Melvin (and family) in 1972.

Frank Harmon considered getting married again in 1972 to Sadie Bower (of Fresno) but it did not work out. To the right is a picture of him, Lillian Heil and Sadie Bower.

In April 1973 his grandson Brent (returned from his mission) married Karla Stoker and they made their home in Idaho.

Nineteen seventy three brought Frank Harmon his eighth grandchild - Jennifer Lynette to Duane and Lynette Harmon in Connecticut. To the right is a picture of her at age 6. Birth Certificate for Jennifer Lynette Harmon

In late summer of 1974, Frank Harmon made the move from Fresno, California to Provo, Utah. (Lillian had enough room for him in Hawaii so he had agreed to move there or to Provo if she got a job at BYU Provo)

By 1974 the great grandchildren began to arrive. Theron was born to Karla and Brent Harmon in May 1974. This picture was taken of him at Christmas time 1974.

The family picture at the left was also taken at Christmas time in 1974.

Frank was a pleasant addition to the household because he was so appreciative. He sat down to meals saying, "Good food, good food," before he had even tasted any of it.

He enjoyed activities at BYU and soon had his own activity card.

The garden changed after Frank Harmon came there to live. He brought cuttings from California, and N.Y. experiment stations. The N.Y. grapes stood the Utah weather better than the ones from California.

He had been raising thousands of cuttings in Fresno so the first grapes in Provo were planted a foot or less apart (as a result none of the vines could grow very large). When the family tried to get him to thin them, his reply was, "Give them one more year." Thinning had to be done at night after he had gone to bed.

Frank Harmon's oldest granddaughter, Lori (daughter of Frank W. and Ruth) went on a mission to Italy in the spring of 1975. To the right is a her missionary picture. Picture of Lori on her return from her mission

Later in 1975 Grandson Richard (son of Frank W. and Ruth) went on a mission to the Eastern States. To the left is his missionary picture Picture of Richard on his return from the Eastern States Mission

In January 1976 the second great grand child arrived - Michelle, daughter of Karla and Brent Harmon. To the right is a picture of Karla and Michelle taken in May 1976.

Frank Harmon always joined the family for trips. In August 1976 the family went to Glacier, Yellowstone and Jackson Hole. F.N. Harmon missed only one of the activities - canoeing down the Snake River near Jackson. He had caught a cold at a rainy campground and was sleeping it off in their hotel at Jackson Hole. (He was never without a rain coat after that).

That fall Carol persuaded her grandfather to buy a horse which wasn't hard because he was a horse lover. To the right is a picture of Carol with her first horse.

He was active in all church activities - especially the "active" ones like being a door greeter or picking up apples at the welfare farm. To the left is Frank Harmon in action on the welfare farm.

In August 1977 the family trip was to the Corn Dance and such sites as El Morro with all its ancient autographs carved into sandstone.

He also took time to get acquainted with great grandchild, Michelle.

And to go to family reunions in St. George. This family picture was taken at one of these get-to-gethers.

The third great grand child was born in February 1978 - Neal Harmon born to Karla and Brent Harmon. The picture to the left shows him at about 1 ½ years.

In April 1978 the family trip was to the east to visit his son Duane and family and see such sites as Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts.

In Washington DC the Harmon family lost F.N. Harmon for a frantic afternoon while visiting the museums near the White House. (He had gone to sleep in a museum, woke up and took off- walking right out of the park area). The picture at left was taken before he got lost.

Because Lori had missed the trip to Glacier, Lake Louise, and Jackson Hole (while she was on her mission), she, her father, Lillian Heil and F.N. Harmon went down the Salmon River on rafts. To the right everyone is getting on their life jackets before getting in the rafts.

When Frank Harmon's vision and age made him a driving hazard he consented to sell his car and thereafter made one, two, or three trips a day (depending on whether or not he remembered going) to get cookies raisins and bananas.

Another on his favorite list of foods was bananas.

Early in 1980 (February 3rd) the fourth great grandchild, Daniel(son of Karla and Brent) was born.

His birth inspired a picture of four generations of Harmons shown at the right.

In the spring of 1980 Frank's granddaughter, Carol, left for a mission to Uruguay. Carol Harmon as she left for her mission to Uruguay

Frank Harmon let his family know he would like to see Alaska so in June 1980 he and Lillian took the inland passage cruise on the SS Prinsendam.

At left he watches as the ranger guides for Glacier Bay were picked up.

On the right he relaxes in a deck chair (not the warmest of cruises - notice all the coats and jackets on the passengers.)

A month later grandchild number ten, Scott, was born to Duane and Lynette Harmon. Birth Certificate for Scott Esplin Harmon

In November 1982 Great Grandchild number five - Jeffrey was born to Karla and Brent in Idaho. To the right is a picture of him about a month later

In May of 1983 Frank N. Harmon's 6th great grandchild was born to Lori and Clyde Thomas - Derek. At left he is being held by his great grandfather.

In June 1984 he was upset because family members told him not to eat strawberries(he had diabetic tendencies). He left in a huff and family members couldn't find him. Search parties in the stake and police bulletins were of no avail. On June 25th a boy out with his dog found F.N. Harmon's body on a hillside overlooking the freeway on Grandview Hill. To the right is the message his son, Frank W. Harmon wrote to the ward. Below is Stake President John R. Christiansen's message to the Oak Hills Stake about the search and thanking everyone for their efforts.

Frank Nelson's Harmon's funeral was held on June 29, 1984. The program is shown at the left.

The program cover shown at the right (a drawing by his grand daughter Carol) of grapes - the plant on which he spent so much time studying and researching.