Fern E Harmon

FERN ELIZABETH HARMON, (nee Scholle), 89, called home to be with our Lord and Savior in perfect peace, on April 18, 2020 at her home in Bridgeton, MO. Fern was born on May 23, 1930 in Overland, MO, to the late Clara (Kelly) Flood Scholle, and Otto Scholle as an only child. Fern’s world was forever changed when her father drowned when she was 5 years old. Kelly married Charles Flood who treasured Fern, and treated her as his own. She was baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in Pagedale, MO, on June 8, 1930, and confirmed there also on April 2, 1944.

Fern loved her family and many friends, and dancing up a storm with every kind of dancing, including swing dancing, tap dancing, line dancing and dancing in a flash mob, even in an August heatwave! She enjoyed art, playing cards, watching “Dancing with the Stars,” entertaining at nursing homes with tap dancing and singing and playing a tambourine or a kazoo in a kitchen band, karaoke singing and dancing at the VFW on Friday night, and dancing to live bands on Saturday night! Fern was energetic, full of endurance, with so much life and energy. She was a party girl to the very end! Fern played a mean game of ping-pong! She looked forward to her monthly lunch dates with childhood friends from her Girl Scout troop, which included her daughters and her friend’s daughters. Fern was a faithful and longtime member of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Bridgeton, MO where she sang in the choir. Fern will always be remembered fondly by all as an amazing woman with a joyful zest for life, how much she loved to show off and have fun, and how she lived her life so fully. We will miss laughing with Fern and seeing her dance in her light up shoes!

Fern attended Marvin School in Ritenour until the 6th grade. She went to Grace Lutheran School until 8th Grade. Fern took the streetcar with a friend, so they could learn their memory verse on the way. Her teacher wrote on her report card, “Fern’s a good student, but she talks too much!” Imagine that! Fern went to Ritenour for grades 9-12, and graduated in the Class of 1948.

She was employed as a grocery store checker, a secretary by Hussmann Refrigeration, a mail courier for Fisher & Fritchel, and as an in office mail courier for Smith-Kline Laboratories where she delivered mail wearing roller skates!

Don and Fern were married on April 23, 1949 at Grace Lutheran Church. Fern was preceded in death by her loving, devoted, assiduous, and hard-working husband, Milton Don Harmon to whom she was married for 47 years. Don took Fern on a trip to Hawaii to celebrate their 25th Anniversary, and when they returned, their family gave them a surprise party for all her family and friends! Fern and Don were surprised again by their family with a 40th Anniversary party with all their family and friends where their daughters, Carol & Cheryl, and their granddaughter, Shauna, belly danced for them! When Don became ill, Fern cared for him until he passed on December 23, 2001.

She is survived by her loving children, Carol Harmon Pitzer (Jay), Cheryl Harmon Niehaus (Denny), her cherished grandchildren, Shauna Pitzer Brandt (Alex), Brent Pitzer (Ashley), Kelli Niehaus and Kerri Niehaus, and her beloved great-grandchildren, Quentin Brandt, Hazel Pitzer, Xavier Brandt and Ezmae Pitzer.

Our family is having a private burial on April 22, and everyone is invited to a Celebration of Fern’s Life to be held at a later date. Our family encourages condolences to be included on this site, so that her whole family can enjoy them! If you desire an invitation to Fern’s Celebration of Life, please state it in your condolence and you will surely be contacted.

Since we do not know when we can safely and legally schedule a date for this celebration, we ask that you join our family in focusing not on the sadness of losing Fern and missing her, but the joy we’ve had in knowing her and more importantly, of knowing that Fern has true peace now, that she has been made perfect, that she has accepted the wonderful sacrificial gift of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and that she will spend eternity with Him! There is no greater joy!

I leave you with a favorite quote of Fern’s mother that also applies to Fern: “I’m going home to Jesus: My life will soon begin: Earth’s ties will then be severed, as heaven I enter in.”

On April 19, Fern’s grandson, Brent Pitzer, ran a marathon of 26.2 miles in her honor.

A private memorial and burial service of 10 people will be led by Dr. David Bretcher, where her favorite Psalm, Psalm 23 will be recited, and her favorite song, “Have You Seen Jesus, My Lord” will be sung with Pastor Bretcher accompanying us on his guitar. Her great-grandson, Quentin Brandt will play a trumpet solo another long-time favorite hymn of Fern’s, “Beautiful Savior,” which was the inspiration of the name of her church!

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Concerned Women for America @ www.cwfa.org/states/missouri or Concerned Women for America, PO Box 1352., St. Peters, MO 63376, or Truth For Action @www.truthforaction.com or Truth for Action, 1939 Wentzville Pkwy, #378, Wentzville, MO 63385.