Eloise Lawson Harmia was born Dec. 27, 1924, in Davis County, Iowa. She passed away peacefully on June 17, 2023, at the age of 98. She was the third of nine children born to Lester and Mae (Siler) Lawson. Her family drove to Aberdeen in 1935, during the Great Depression, with the girls riding in the car and the four boys in a towed trailer with a linoleum roof, covered wagon style.
Eloise was a 1942 graduate of JM Weatherwax High School and attended Grays Harbor Business College. During her high school years, she worked as an usher at the Weir and D&R theaters. She married Ken Harmia of Aberdeen on Aug. 23, 1946. He passed away in 2009. Eloise was employed by Elmore Boom Co, Anderson & Middleton Lumber Co. and finally Twin County Credit Union.
Eloise was an excellent seamstress; she sewed everything from shirts and pajamas to Barbie clothes. She made wedding dresses for three of her sisters. One of her final projects was a set of patchwork pajamas with fabric from every pair of pajamas she had ever sewn. In the family, she was famous for her fried razor clams, potato salad and blackberry pies.
Outside of work and family, Eloise was a member of the Toltec Reading Club, St. Elizabeth Guild, and was an officer at BPOE 593 Lady of the Elks. She cherished all the friendships she made there. Her favorite vacation spot was Hawaii; she traveled there 16 times thanks to the generosity of her surviving brother-in-law, Jim Dehning of Hillsboro, Oregon.
Eloise is also survived by her son, Cris (Shawn) of Tumwater; daughter, Karen Karnath (Randy) of Aberdeen; grandsons, Devin (Cheryl) of Kirkland and Kyle (Alicia) of Packwood; granddaughters, Charis Harmia of Tumwater and Kacy Karnath of Aberdeen; two great-grandsons, Theo and Mathias Harmia of Kirkland and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by all of her siblings: Marvin, Christine, Bud, Helen, Byron, Bruce, Delores and Mary Jo. Any memorials should be made to St. Mary School 518 North H Street, Aberdeen.
A celebration of her life will be held from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, July 15, at the Aberdeen Elks.
