Christine Adams Harmon

Chris was born Oct. 18, 1930, to the late Ernest Lee and Luna Mae Jordan Adams in Athens. She grew up in Hart County on her family’s farm. She and her two sisters helped her parents pick cotton every fall as they grew up, in addition to completing other chores. She attended Gold Mine School and Hartwell High School, graduating in 1947. After high school, she attended Reinhardt College, graduating with a degree in elementary education in 1949. From 1949-1951, she taught third, fourth, and fifth grades at Vanna School in Hart County.

On July 21, 1951, she married John Frank Harmon, Jr. at Redwine Methodist Church in Hart County. He died in 2004 in Athens.

Along with her husband and several others, Chris put radio station WBAW on the air in Barnwell, South Carolina, where they moved shortly after they married. She worked as traffic director, scheduling advertising. She and her family then moved to Seneca, South Carolina, where she was a mother and homemaker. While living in Seneca, she also helped to organize Beta Sigma Phi sorority and served at its president.

After moving to Athens with her family in the early 1960s, in addition to raising four children, Chris was very active in the Athens community. She was a member of the Athens Junior Woman’s Club and the Athens Woman’s Club, organizations dedicated to improving local communities through volunteer service. She served as president of the Athens Junior Woman’s Club. She also served on the Board of Trustees of Tallulah Falls School in Tallulah Falls, Georgia. The school was founded by The Georgia Federation of Women’s Club, a state organization composed of local women’s clubs throughout Georgia. Chris was also active at Young Harris United Memorial Church for many years, working on numerous church committees and serving as president of United Methodist Women.

Chris and Frank were both active in the Republican Party of Georgia. Chris also was a member of the Republican Woman’s Club. In addition, she served 10 years on the Athens City Personnel Board. Chris also enjoyed working as secretary for the Athens district office of Nationwide Insurance Agency for 26 years.

Chris is survived by her children, Karen (Larry) Fields, Spartanburg, SC; Sharen (Malcolm) McArthur, Athens; John (Tracy) Harmon, Statham; Gregory Harmon, Athens; five grandchildren, Lisa and (Jordan) Bryngelson, Summerville, SC; Alan (Kristin) Fields, Roswell; Jenny Skelton, Athens; Emily McArthur (Kevin Ducray), Gainesville; Alexa Harmon, Atlanta; six great-grandchildren, Bayne and John Davis Bryngelson, Summerville, SC; Faye Skelton, Athens; Harper Hawes, Athens; Walker Fields, Roswell; Jack Fields, Roswell; sister, Evelyn Broadwell, Honea Path, SC; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, George and Adrienne Harmon, Tallahassee, FL.; and nieces and nephews.

The funeral service to celebrate Chris’s life will be held at 2:00 PM, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at Bernstein Funeral Home, 3195 Atlanta Hwy., Athens. The Rev. Alan Smith will officiate. The family will host a reception immediately following the service at the funeral home. A private burial service for the family will be held at 1:00 PM at Evergreen Memorial Park on Atlanta Highway, before the funeral service.

Memorial donations may be made to support Athens Area Humane Society at https://athenshumanesociety.org/

Chris’s family would like to thank Orchard Senior Living and Agape Hospice Care for the exceptional and loving care that they gave her. Their care helped to ease the difficulties Chris faced after she was diagnosed with vascular dementia in April, 2020.

Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.