Phil, Chris & Charlie, I just read of your Mom's passing in the MSU Alumni Magazine and wanted to express my sincerest condolences. I need not remind you of my most fondest memories of both of your parents in the neighborhood, Red Cedar School and beyond. What Wonderful people and I was so Blessed to have them in my East Lansing Family. Kindest Regards, Rick Carrow

We were saddened to hear of Kay's sudden decline and recent passing.  As a daughter-in-law, I began going through our boxes and albums of photos and pulling out so many from the past 38 years of knowing her and the Harner side of our family. It brought back great memories of wonderful times we had shared; our visits and family gatherings up in East Lansing, and her visits down to Georgia, including a memorable trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains where she enjoyed time with my mother and grandparents. My favorite visits with her though, were when she came down to help me after each of our three children were born. Grandparents have lots of wisdom to share! 

I am grateful that my husband was raised by two wonderful parents who instilled so many wonderful values to their sons. And I am grateful that each of our children was able to have their own unique relationship with their Gammie. She will be missed. 

I am most grateful that East Lansing friends let me know of Kay’s passing. What an extraordinary woman she was: mother of several boys, 6th grade math/science teacher, elder woman desiring to know herself. Not only did we both teach at Hannah Middle School, for several years we also participated in a writing group in which we learned to bare our souls. That’s how I really got to know Kay. She needed to write about the dark as well as the light, the sorrow as well as the joy and we all benefitted from her courage and honesty in opening to us. The world is a better place by far for Kay having been true to herself. 

Mrs. Harner was my 7th grade teacher, but it would be many years later that we became good friends and  I came to know her as Kay. I, too, had become a teacher in the East Lansing district when mutual friends invited us to create a Woman’s Writing Group. Within the group we shared lifelong experiences and came to know each other as woman friends, not teacher or student.
Kay and her husband had enjoyed watching birds. When I retired from teaching I had become a bird lover too. I joined the Audubon Society in the Lansing area and put myself on an internet list for rare bird alerts. One day an email arrived telling me of a Least Bittern, a very rare shorebird had been heard, not seen, in a wetland area very near to Burcham Hills where Kay had taken up residence. I called Kay and she quickly agreed that we should go in search of this bird. She was using a walker at the time, but the bird was to be heard very near a trail through some nearby wetlands. I picked her up and we drove to the spot.  We made our way slowly along the path toward the specified spot. I had listened to the bird’s call on my birding app and told Kay what we should expect to hear from this bird. According to my research, we should hear a series of soft chuckles. We listened to all the noises coming from this large, shallow swamp where many birds were gathered on a warm Spring afternoon. Suddenly I began to hear it very nearby. Without speaking I pointed toward the sound, and a few seconds later Kay broke into a victory smile and nodded her head positively. We stayed there quietly sharing our success with each other! Two little old ladies giggling with our Least Bittern chuckling in the background. Thanks, Kay, for your dear friendship!


OBITUARY

Mrs. Cathryn "Kay" Barrett Harner

April 27, 1924 – September 25, 2021

Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Reminders

Services