Hallie C Harmon

Hallie (Lee) Harmon passed away peacefully on the afternoon of Monday, February 17, 2025, at the enviable age of 96. A lifelong Washingtonian, Lee was born in Tacoma and spent her childhood in Ballard, graduating from Ballard High School in 1946. Before graduating, her expertise in shorthand (and, to be sure, her undeniably quick wit) earned her a job as secretary to the president of Sears in downtown Seattle.

Lee loved spending time with her girlfriends, laughing and going on little adventures. They particularly loved dancing. One night in 1947, Lee and her friends went out to the Trianon Ballroom. Lee’s first dance of the night was with Gerald Harmon, a Navy man from Alabama. They danced together all night and exchanged letters until Gerald finished his service.

Lee and Jerry were married 1949. Soon after, they bought a house in Lake City, where they lived for 60 years. There, they raised two daughters and entertained two grandchildren. Lee was a lover of games and competition. She taught her kids and grandkids to play cards, but consistently managed to beat them at gin rummy. This winning streak continued into her 97th year. (She beat her granddaughter as recently as August, 2024.)

Lee was a proud member of the non-collegiate sorority Beta Sigma Phi (Zeta Chapter) in the 1950s. She also began bowling in the '50s and participated in several leagues over the years. Lee was an avid sports fan, watching just about anything that aired, but she had a particular love for the Seattle Mariners and the Mariner Moose. Her collection of Mariners Bobbleheads was a point of well-earned pride.

Lee moved to Spiritwood in Issaquah in 2014, where she made many friends and became well known for her joke-telling. She made a point to learn a fresh, punny joke each day and shared them with staff and residents at breakfast. “What do you call a cow who just gave birth? De-calf-inated.” To say Lee brightened any room would be an understatement; when she was there, it glowed.

Lee is survived by her daughters, Susan Lohman (Nicholas) and Gerry Lee Hockett, her grandchildren, Christopher and Kelly (Nick), and many nieces, nephews, and friends.