Kate Harwood

Kate Evans Harwood, a devout Christian who married the love of her life and raised four adoring children during a turbulent era of conflict and upheaval, died March 10, 2013, two months shy of her 98th birthday. She was surrounded by her family as she reached out toward an unseen shore and departed this world in peace. The pillar of her family, a wonderful cook who presided over countless memorable dinners, a giver of good advice and a healer of childhood cuts and scrapes, Kate embraced the traditional roles of mother and housewife, providing the unconditional love and support that her children took for granted. But her first and abiding loves were for her late husband of 64 years -- attorney Walter E. Harwood Jr. of Nashville -- and the Baptist Church, the spiritual hub of a life devoted to God. An accomplished soprano who rode the streetcar to piano lessons as a small child, Kate sang with numerous religious ensembles as she grew up, wrapping up her formal singing career in the choir of the First Baptist Church in downtown Nashville. She and her husband took their children to classical concerts throughout their youth, instilling an appreciation for music that would last a lifetime. They took special pleasure in long vacations, motoring across the nation on marathon camping trips to far-flung destinations. After Walter's retirement, they toured Europe and traveled extensively in North America. They who knew them could not imagine one without the other. "We never had any arguments," Kate once said. "We were just meant for each other. We had a very, very happy marriage. Sixty-four good years. We both liked the same sorts of things: traveling, music, the church. We enjoyed our home, we enjoyed entertaining, we enjoyed our friends." The daughter of Robert Evans and Nellie Bearden Evans, Kate was born May 13, 1915. Growing up in south Nashville near what is now the Vanderbilt University medical complex, Kate graduated from Hume Fogg High School and met her future husband in 1935 when both appeared on a church radio show. She had seen him once before when he played marimba at Belmont Baptist Church. "I thought, 'I'd like to meet him,'" she recalled. They met again soon after when both attended a Nashville business school. "He didn't remember meeting me," Kate laughed. So began a five-year courtship that led to marriage on July 6, 1940. Walter joined the U.S. Army in 1943, the year his oldest son, Bob, was born, and eventually shipped out to the Pacific theater. Kate and Walter reunited after World War 2 drew to a close and a second son, Walter, was born in 1948. Bill followed during the Korean conflict in 1952 and daughter Nell Anne was born in 1955. Along the way, Walter earned a law degree, working by day and attending classes at night, thanks in large part to Kate's constant encouragement and support. In 1979, one year before her husband's retirement, the couple endured the death of their second son, Walter. They eventually sold the family home to Bill's closest childhood friend and moved to Cookeville, settling into a home built by their son Bob. Kate promptly enjoyed a new circle of friends, joining the First Baptist Church of Cookeville and developing a well-earned reputation as a relentless Scrabble player. Walter passed away on his 90th birthday in 2004, a devastating loss for Kate. But she endured and aged gracefully, completing her journey with her family at her side. Kate is survived by Bob and Carol Harwood of Cookeville; their daughter Anna; Bill and Catherine Harwood of Merritt Island, Fla., and their children Houston and Riley; and by Nell Anne and Chuck Hochanadel of Oak Ridge, and their daughter, Leah and her children, Aiden and Annie. Visitation will be held Friday, March 15, 2013, starting at 9 a.m. in the Cookeville Chapel of Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home, followed by services at 11 a.m. with Bro. Mark Gaw officiating and Bob Harwood delivering the eulogy. Graveside services will be held later in the day, at 4 p.m., at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Nashville.