Obituary of Amelia Harding

HARDING, Amelia Streif (formerly of Elma, N.Y. and Jeannette, PA) of State College, departed on her next Great Adventure, at home, on November 21, 2014. Her last days were spent speaking and visiting with many of the people she knew and loved. Amelia was passionate about helping those who needed help and was a powerful advocate for people with mental illnesses. She was an avid traveler with a love of maps and sharing American culture with people from around the world. She was loved by hundreds of people of all ages. Amelia was born at home in Wales Center, New York on October 15, 1925, the oldest child of Robert H. Streif and Catherine H. Streif. Her only sibling, Robert F. Streif of Elma, NY and Ocoee, Florida, died in 1998. She graduated from Ebenezer High School in West Seneca, NY, one of only nine students in her graduating class. She was a proud graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics. She also attended the University of Buffalo, the Pennsylvania State University, and Elder Hostel programs around the USA. She retired from Pattee Library at the Pennsylvania State University after 15 years as a library assistant in the Maps Collection. As the Home Economics Editor for the Buffalo Evening News, Buffalo NY, she wrote a daily column known as "Ask Lucy Lincoln." Her varied career also included Treasurer of Electro Logic Fabricators, State College PA, Publicity Coordinator for the Music Guild of Pittsburgh PA, a Home Demonstration Agent with the Steuben County NY and Atlantic County NJ Extension Services, and a Home Services Representative for the Gas Company of Dunkirk NY, where she wrote a column called "Menu Maneuvers" for the Dunkirk Evening Observer. She was also one of the first door-to-door Fuller Brush Women in the USA. Her advocacy for people with mental illness lasted more than 30 years. She served on the Board of Trustees of the Danville State Hospital for 24 years, with a special interest in the ethical treatment of patients, and the Board of Directors of Strawberry Fields, Inc. (a private nonprofit agency serving individuals with developmental disabilities and with mental illness in Centre County) for more than 20 years. In 2010, Strawberry Fields established the Amelia S. Harding Award to honor outstanding consumers and staff in their Mental Health Programs. She was a member of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) of Central Pennsylvania, serving as Secretary and an Elected Delegate to four national conventions. She visited mental institutions in England, Finland, and Barbados to learn about their programs. She was a member of the State College Land Trust, a Nonprofit affordable housing group, and served on its Real Estate and Real Estate Rehabilitation Board. She served on the Centre County Planning Commission and authored The Centre County Voting Precinct Atlas. She was a Board Member of the Nittany Valley Chapter of the AARP and an Elected Delegate to the AARP National Convention. She served as president of the Youth Employment Service, a project of the Centre County Youth Services Bureau, for which she also volunteered. She was a member of the University Club of State College and served several terms on its Board of Directors. She was an original member of the Penn State Faculty and Staff Club, a member of the Family and Consumer Scientists of Centre County, the Cornell Alumni Group of Central Pennsylvania, and the Ostrander Family Association. She was a Girl Scout Leader, a Cub Scout Den Mother, taught English to international students and teachers, and was a long-time volunteer for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. She was active in the Republican Party, worked on local candidate's campaigns, and served many years as a Poll Worker in College Heights during elections. She belonged to the Anglican Church where she was a Vestry Member for St. Alban's, served on the Seminary Board of Governors for Holy Rood Seminary, and sat on the National Committee on Church Growth. She played piano and organ and loved music. Her family would like to thank the Home Nursing Agency for both personal and Hospice care, particularly her nurses and HNA Aides Charlene and Shirley. We also appreciate the loving help of Tracy Hockenberry, Kathy Fox, and her grad student roommates who helped Mom live delightedly and independently at home. She is survived by her three daughters: Cathy Harding of Olympia, Wash.; Penny Dorneman and her husband, Stephen, of Boston, Mass.; and Sarah Gillian Harding of State College; and one grandson, James R. Harding-Parry of State College. She was predeceased by her husband of 55 years, William Renny Harding Jr., who died in 2010; her son William R. Harding, III who died in 1990; and two grandchildren, Jenna Marie Harding and Clifford Joseph Rodack. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to Strawberry Fields, Inc. 3054 Enterprise Dr., State College, PA 16801 Visitors will be recieved will be from 4 until 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 11, 2014, at Koch Funeral Home, 2401 South Atherton Street, State College. Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, December 12, 2014, at St. Alban's Anglican Church, 146 Pine Grove Road, Pine Grove Mills, with the Reverend Robert Tufton and the Right Rev. Council Nedd II, Ph.D., Bishop Ordinary officiating. Reception to follow at the church. Interment Ceremony at 2:30 at Pine Hall Cemetery, for the remains of Amelia S. Harding, William R. Harding Jr., and William R. Harding III. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com.