He began playing clarinet at age seven, and his interest only intensified through the years.
The last time Clarice Harding saw her son, Ronald Harding, alive was Easter Sunday, a day she now cherishes. “While visiting my sister at a nursing home I dozed off to sleep,” she said. “When I woke up, Ron was standing over me smiling.” She said her son ate dinner with her and a granddaughter after leaving the nursing home. Harding, 55, was a claims representative for the Social Security Administration. He also was an accomplished musician who played five instruments – clarinet, saxophone, flute, violin, and cello. He had been a member of the Earl Pittman All-Stars jazz band for more than 10 years. She said he also was active in his church, Greater Cleaves Memorial Church in Oklahoma City, where he had been recently selected as a steward. Ronald Harding, the oldest of Clarice Harding’s children, had two brothers and a sister. Harding is survived by his wife and four children – two girls and two boys.
Field of Empty Chairs
