William Harding June 20, 1951 - November 19, 2022

William Joseph Harding

William Joseph Harding passed away from a heart attack on November 19, 2022, at Utah Valley Hospital in Provo, Utah. November 19 would have been his mother Adair’s 95th birthday. William was born to Fred William and Adair Finch Harding on June 20, 1951, in Provo, Utah. He was the oldest of five siblings.

During his childhood, he learned to play the piano, the trumpet, and percussion. He was a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and earned his Eagle Scout. He competed on the swim team. He graduated from Provo High School in 1969 and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Botany and Zoology from Brigham Young University in 1972. He performed in band, marching band, and served as Drum Major. He was unable to serve an LDS mission because of the Vietnam War, so he entered the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) while at BYU. He married Rhonda Sharp and they moved to the University of Montana while he did Graduate work in Botany with the Air Force. At the University of Montana, he was commissioned as an Air Force officer as a Second Lieutenant. They had two children, Lorica and Jania.

William was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1973. Later, he and Rhonda divorced. William moved back to Provo, earned his Respiratory Therapist certification, and worked at Utah Valley Hospital, where he met Carol Davidson. After William and Carol married, William earned his teaching license and taught at Blanding High School and American Fork High School (Science, Yearbook, Photography, and coached Swim Team), and he worked as an EMT in the evenings. Yvonne and Rachell were born during that time.

William returned to the Air Force in 1980, and the family moved to Colorado Springs, CO, where he worked at NORAD in Space Command & Operations. Their son, David, was born. William learned computers and earned his Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Colorado in 1982. He was then transferred to Utah State University to teach ROTC. He was honorably discharged from the Air Force as a Captain in 1988. 

After discharge, William worked as an educator, then as a technical writer in the Software industry. He worked for small companies and Novell in Orem/Provo, then spent nearly 18 years in Washington State, mostly working at Microsoft. He wrote many software development user manuals and developer support materials during his time in those companies.

After returning to Utah in 2016, William and Carol divorced. He moved into his childhood home to take care of his aging mother, Adair. He worked for various companies in Provo. He updated his teaching license and taught Science at Freedom Prep Academy for a few years and then retired. At the time of his death, he was working for the Moffat Construction, Co. 

William was self-taught in many things and loved sharing his knowledge and teaching others. He had a curious mind and was always researching, observing, thinking, taking notes, and studying. He loved nature, plants, insects, geology (rocks), all science and computers. He enjoyed building train model sets. He was a drummer in many different bands throughout the years. He loved working with his hands, hiking, racquetball, yardwork, and ham radio. He inherited his father Fred’s talents in photography and often supplemented family income with professional photography. William almost always had a camera on adventures to document events, people, rocks, plants, and landscapes.

William’s priority was his family. He was a devoted father, husband, son, and brother. He was an active and faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and loved the Savior. He served many callings throughout his life, including teaching, and served in the Bishopric and Sunday School and as Ward Clerk often. He enjoyed serving as a worker in the Logan Temple. He enjoyed all the different times he served as Ward Chorister and Choir Director, as music and rhythm were always in his heart. He particularly cherished his time as a Ward Missionary in the Bothell WA Stake. He used his ham radio experience to establish several emergency preparedness networks within the Church in Washington State and Utah.

William is survived by his children: Lorica Pilivi, Jania Olauson, Yvonne Peterson, Rachell Reilly, and David A. Harding; 14 grandchildren; and his siblings: Warren Harding, Wayne Harding, Weston Harding, and Wanda Staker. He was preceded in death by his parents. 

A funeral service with military honors will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, November 28, 2022, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 2900 North 650 East, Provo, Utah. Visitation will be prior from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at the church. There will also be visitation on Sunday, November 27, 2022, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the church. Interment will be at Provo City Cemetery, 610 South State Street, Provo, Utah. In addition to military honors, members of the Payson High School Pipe Band, including William’s grandson Sean Reilly, will perform at interment services.