Harriett Ann Harrow

Harriett was born on July 21, 1943, in Des Moines, Iowa, the youngest child of Dr. Howard Graney and Guinevere Graney. She was graduated from East Des Moines High School and maintained close lifelong connections with many friends from her childhood. Later, she earned a degree in journalism from Drake University.

Throughout her professional career as a journalist and business communications strategist and entrepreneur, Harriett’s main client was Polaroid Corporation where she wrote instruction manuals and industrial commercials. She also enjoyed – and was highly successful at – real estate investing, and through this she became a licensed real estate broker.

After living in a variety of cities throughout her life, Harriett settled in Austin in 1989 where she met and married Paul MacLean, who owned a home inspection business, in 1994. They enjoyed living together in their North Austin neighborhood of Summerwood and spending time with treasured friends and neighbors. In more recent years, Harriett was particularly proud of the work she did as a member of the first City of Austin Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission in 2013-14, including co-authoring the resulting book of guidance, Roadmap to Citizen Redistricting: Four Austin Commissioners Point the Way.

Harriett had a knack for playing poker and performing sleight of hand magic tricks. She was a reader, a grammarian and lover of words, a storyteller, and a history buff. Her favorite film was North by Northwest. Her life’s highlights included meeting both John F. Kennedy when he was running for President, and Saint Padre Pio, having traveled to Italy after college with the goal of an audience with him.

Harriett was a devoted friend, wife, sister, daughter, mother and stepmother, grandmother, and aunt. She was predeceased by her beloved husband Paul on March 30, 2023. She is survived by her daughter Hillary Harrow and grandsons Benedict Kiely and Phineas Kiely; stepchildren Dawn MacLean, Kerry MacLean, and Jamie MacLean; sisters Kathleen Finkenauer and Carol DeChant; nieces Beth Kasper and Meredith Ashby; nephews Brian DeChant and David DeChant, and other extended family.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, November 2 at 1pm in Austin, and for more info people should contact her daughter at [email protected]

Harriett was diagnosed in the 1990s with acoustic neuromas, which are rare non-cancerous brain tumors. She had them successfully removed at The House Clinic, the leading medical and surgery facility for this condition. Her family would be grateful for memorial donations to fund research and education in Harriett’s name to The House Institute Foundation (https://hifla.org/ways-to-give/).

Immortality

Do not stand

By my grave, and weep.

I am not there,

I do not sleep—

I am the thousand winds that blow

I am the diamond glints in snow

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle, autumn rain.

As you awake with morning’s hush,

I am the swift, up-flinging rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight,

I am the day transcending night.

Do not stand

By my grave, and cry—

I am not there,

I did not die.

— Clare Harner, 1934