Anne Marie Harman

Anne Marie Harman, 78, of New Bern, NC, loving mother of seven children and devoted wife of 56 years, peacefully passed away on Sunday, August 21, 2022, reuniting in heaven with her beloved husband, the late Col. Steven Clark Harman, Jr., USA (Ret).

Anne is survived by her seven children, their spouses, and 13 grandchildren: Steven (Tricia) Harman; Mary (Todd) Fleming and daughters Hannah and Brooke; Jim (Kimberly) Harman and son Jack; Joe Harman and children Bethany, Shauna, Joey, and Frank; Katee (Jason) Petzold and children James, Madison, and John; John (Kristy) Harman and daughter Ellie; and Barbara (Jeremy) Maia and daughters Zoey and Avery. Anne is also survived by her sister, Rita (Peter) Overzat; brother, James ‘Big Jim’ Geddis; and extensive extended family. Anne is preceded in death by her mother, Alice Geddis; father, Dr. James T. Geddis; and sister, Margaret (George) Schmidt.

Quiet, strong, resilient, scrappy, and funny, Anne embraced life with grace, calm, and an understanding that all would work out just as it should – a testament to her unwavering faith in God. She grew up in the Bronx, NY and attended Villa Maria Academy, an all-girls Catholic school. It was here that she met many of her lifelong friends and established her foundation of faith. Growing up, she was a ballerina for many years and enjoyed playing the piano. She also loved art, calligraphy, sewing, and was a voracious reader, often consuming several books in a week.

After high school, Anne attended Ladycliff College as an art major. During her Freshman year, she met Steve, who was a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point. They dated throughout their college career, and then married on June 12, 1965. After the wedding, they embarked on a two-month honeymoon road trip across the U.S. Driving a fire engine red ’65 Ford Mustang Fastback, Anne took the wheel because Steve had a broken ankle. She learned stick shift ‘on the job’, becoming a pro by the end of their journey. That trip ended at Ft. Benning, GA and then onto Augsburg, Germany for their first tour of duty. Their military life had begun, and children soon followed - seven of them. The Mustang was traded for a family-friendly vehicle as they started this new chapter of their life.

As with most military families, they moved a lot – 26 times over the course of their life together. Anne and Steve were a team. While Steve worked hard to support the family, Anne held down the fort at home. She was fixer of all the things – repairing washing machines, assembling Christmas toys, programming the remote, policing the refrigerator, patching up boo boos – Anne was on it. She was the master artist of the household and adorned the walls with paint, wallpaper, and family photos. She took great pride in making each house during their journey, a home. She was a true home maker, and her greatest artwork was her family.

After all the kids started school, Anne worked part-time as a bank teller for close to 20 years. She enjoyed interacting with customers and her coworkers, and loved the exactness of the work. In addition, Anne was involved in numerous community, charitable, and church organizations and filled the roles of high school booster club member, girl scout troop leader, and eucharist minister, to name a few. Since 2006, she had been a very active member of the New Bern Women’s Club. She particularly enjoyed her work on the Holly & Ivy Committee, a historic homes tour, which was their largest annual fundraiser. She served on the Board of Directors and was honored with the Ruth Harper Clubwoman of the Year award in 2012.

During their golden years, Anne and Steve’s home in New Bern, NC was the hub of many family gatherings and they thoroughly enjoyed frequent visits from their kids, grandkids, and extended family. They relished their most important roles of Mom / Dad and Nana / Papa and will be missed dearly. Anne and Steve had a wonderful life and are now together again.

A Mass honoring the life of Anne will be held at St. Paul’s Catholic Church at 3005 Country Club Rd, New Bern, NC at 9:30am on Friday, August 26, 2022. Viewing will be held at Cotten Funeral Home at 2201 Neuse Rd, New Bern, NC on Thursday, August 25th from 4pm-6pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the New Bern Women’s Club at PO Box 308, New Bern, NC 28563.

Cotten Funeral Home is honored to serve the family and friends of Anne Marie Harman.