Paul Alan Harding Sr.

January 16, 2023 at 11am, at Phoenix Memorial Park & Mortuary, 200 W Beardsley Rd,

Phoenix, AZ 85027.

Paul Harding is now enjoying the presence of his dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whom he

loved and served all his life. His mother Ethelyn Harding had given her life to Christ while Paul’s

father Richard Harding Sr. was serving in the War. That changed the course of that family as his

sister - now Linda Gold - a writer now living in Canada and Richard Harding Jr. of Maine, a boat

builder, gave their lives to Christ at a young age. What a great union they will have someday

soon because of this faith of their mother, Ethelyn.

He left his very loved, but very worn, Velveteen Rabbit tent December 17, 2022. Just a month

after his 76th birthday. He enjoyed celebrating on Thanksgiving and joined in with the Happy

Birthday Choir.

Being raised in a family with Great Faith, his sister Linda painted around the top border of the

kitchen walls “my times are in thy hands.”

When he was a little boy, he would fish off the Portland Harbor wharf with his brother Buff. He

and Buff even salvaged a wrecked boat, and took it out on the ocean - almost colliding with an

oil tanker in the middle of a fog. When he wasn’t fishing or watching the big boats come in, he’d

be at the junkyard, watching the cars come in. Once, he sliced his hand in the junkyard so badly

he almost lost his hand. Paul and Buff would walk the car lots well before they could drive, and

Buff would teach Paul how to look for cars that had been in accidents - preparing him to be an

expert in the automobile business. At night, they would compete to know the year, make, and

model of the cars that drove by - just by the look of the headlights.

Moving to the suburbs wasn’t as much fun as the city life. But he was able to enjoy “plinking”

with his .22 at the gravel pit and playing baseball with other rugrats around the neighborhood.

His favorite classes in high school were art, history, and English. It warmed his heart to tell

stories of his teachers at Portland High School, who he often called a group of geniuses. One of

the history teachers would jump up on the desk when teaching, for effect.

He was very proud of the high school - one of the first high schools in the United States - with

granite steps and sidewalks, which he would show off to his family when they went to the city.

He gave his own tour of the school one summer, since the school doors were open.

During high school and into college, each summer, Paul would work in his parents’ antique

shop: Gilsbay Antiques Shop in Falmouth, Maine. This was an education in quality - selling

rugs, glass, fine furniture, silver, and more. The first year they were married, Belinda joined him

and he taught her the value of fine items. It was something they both cherished throughout their

lives together as they went to garage sales and estate sales in Central Phoenix.

Upon graduating from Portland High School, he received a full ride scholarship to Columbia

University in New York, for rowing. But he instead chose to study the Bible at Glen Cove Bible

School, in Glen Cove, Maine. He sold his old car - a Lincoln that he was very proud of - for $50.

With that money, he bought the best Bible he could get his hands on, which he kept all these

years, even with the binding and cover missing.

At Glen Cove, he met his bride, Belinda Dunham - who he was married to for 55 years. The

Glen Cove campus was amazing, right off the coast of Maine. The campus facilitated both the

academy and the Bible school. Belinda’s sister was going to Germany to work with children, and

had taught her how to sing “Jesus loves the little children of the world” in German. Paul was

working with young people in the little Northport Baptist Church in Northport, Maine. That day,

he taught her how to play frisbee, and he knew she was the one. Later on, he would tell his

grandchildren that this was an “arranged marriage.” And he would always make sure they knew

they should only date Christians. “Always date a Christian so you will marry a Christian.”

Paul attended Glen Cove for two years (he drove a school bus to put himself through college),

and then transferred to Grand Rapids School for Bible and Music. Now known as Cornerstone

University, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

While attending GRSBM, he had the honor of representing the college as a part of The

Heralders. This group would travel across the Midwest. They would sing, and take turns

preaching to audiences.

Even while traveling, he wrote a letter every day to his sweetheart. And, he sent a list to her to

ensure a letter was waiting for him at every stop.

The last year he was in school, he entered a contest that included three schools to write a

sermon and win $50. He titled the sermon, “Some looked, some laughed, and some loved.” He

made the point that at the cross, some laughed as our savior hung upon the cross, some looked

as spectators, and some loved and accepted that precious blood payment that God had sent

and in three days, rose from the grave, as He had promised.

Paul won the contest and bought a set of Bible commentaries with the winnings. He wanted to

know everything he could about the Scriptures. That win also gave him the honored position to

speak at his graduation. After he spoke, he hopped on a plane and returned to Maine to be

married two weeks later to his 18-year-old fiance who just graduated from Glen Cove High

School in Glen Cove, Maine.

Paul and Belinda dated for two years before marrying on June 11, 1967. The day before the

wedding, she and her bridesmaids went to get the key to the old grange hall (fellowship hall) to

begin decorating. They refused to give it to her, with the excuse that they were having a

disagreement with the church, so they had decided that no one from that church could use their

building! She was devastated to say the least! But she went to the parsonage to find out what to

do, the girl that opened the door said, “Oh yeah, they did the same thing to me! But Belinda was

able to use the Wiscasset Yacht Club right on the water for $25! The girl took care of the details

and they were able to trade the idea of having the reception at this amazing facility instead of

the dark, dingy hall. What amazing people those yacht club members were to bring such joy 55

years later, they are still talking about God’s grace to help during a devastating situation.

They drove to Quebec with the provisions in the cards from the wedding reception, and had a

splendid honeymoon. They drove Paul’s dad’s 1967 brand new green-yellow Volvo. His dad

complained years later, that no matter how many times he vacuumed it, the confetti continued to

fall out. He was so kind to let them use it. Paul’s folks were also amazing as they let the

newlyweds use the upstairs bedrooms until they returned for an internship program back at

school and Belinda was able to enroll as a student in special classes.

They had originally planned for the 10th of June, but the pastor could not do it that day, so they

planned for the 11th. Which was significant because down the road, their 11th child was born on

that day 22 years later. God is in the details. The baby was very sick, and they almost lost him.

They prayed God’s will be done. They are still praising the Lord today. Years later, they were out

at Butler Park, and met the physician that invented “the jet” - the machine used to save their

child’s life.

The fall they were married, they crossed Canada back into Michigan, in the beautiful, dark green

VW, that the dear parents had helped them purchase. They went back to Michigan to finish an

internship at Grand Rapids School of Bible and Music. The internship was in the office of Dr.

John Miles, the president of the college. It was a monumental time in Paul’s life, where they

talked in depth about the faith and the Scriptures. Paul dearly loved John Miles, who has since

gone home to glory. What joy Paul must be experiencing as he sits down with John and thanks

him for those great times.

He was able to put himself through school by working nights at Keller Brass, stacking brass

dipped in acid. He learned so much about work ethic and organization there, talking about the

factory with his children and grandchildren often. He would tape pennies to his fingers to keep

them from going raw, and he soon found out not to bend over when items dropped, as it would

take him off the line and slow the progress… picking them up at the end of the shift instead.

Paul had seen an ad on the school bulletin board for an apartment to rent with a single lady who

would be a nanny all week and return on weekends. That schedule worked perfect… $50 for

everything included. Especially because on the weekends, the newlyweds would be gone to

work with the youth group at the Hartford Church in Hartford, MI. They stayed in a travel trailer

on the parsonage property. It was a great year hanging out with all the other married couples…

so many miracle stories of God’s provision that year.

One story was Belinda’s craving for a glass of milk when she was pregnant with her first child.

Upon returning from a weekend, she found the landlady had left a note on a carton of milk in the

fridge - asking if Belinda and Paul could finish it off. They were planning to write a hot check for

milk, and no longer had to!

Upon graduation, they returned to Maine, Belinda great with child. Dr. Stevens of Portland

Maine Medical had delivered Paul and now his first born.!

She received the Rhogam shot because she was RH- and Paul was RH+, setting things up for

disaster for children to follow. This allowed her to have 10 more children. It was the first Rhogam

shot given at Portland Maine Medical. Time Magazine the Rhogam shot the biggest medical

breakthrough in the 1960s. It had been developed in the 1940s, but it had not been approved

until June 1, 1968. His oldest. was born July 19, 1968. Even today, 300,000 children die or are

severely handicapped because the mother did not have the shot.

Four months after the birth of their first child, the Appleton Baptist Church along with the South

Summerville Baptist Church asked Paul to be their pastor. He was 22 years old. These were

country churches, located just a few miles apart. Each Sunday, Paul would preach one sermon,

then jump into his green Volkswagen, drive to the next town, and preach another sermon.

Paul was a city boy, and there was a time when everyone thought big churches were the best.

So off they went to begin classes at a college in Virginia to learn the methods for growing. They

sold everything to move south. But as he took classes, he discovered among other things, to his

horror that one of his Bible professors did not believe in the Genesis 6-day creation account. He

packed up his dear family - now with two children - and returned to Maine.

The lesson he learned from that encounter was that the Scriptures warned from 2 Corinthians

2:27, “We are not as many, which corrupt the word of God.” In recent years, it was Paul’s

passion to warn others of these 250 different versions of the King James Bible - that have left

out portions, changed Bible stories, and basically corrupted the word of God that Paul the

Apostle prophesied 2000 years ago… that “grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the

flock.” Martyrs were burned at the stake because they would not give in to those who hated the

King James Bible. He was upset with Christians who gave in to the pressure of “fake Bibles”.

When he returned to Maine from Virginia, he needed to support his growing family (expecting

his third child at the time), and since he loved cars… he was hired on as a salesman for Bruce

Beard Volkswagen in Augusta Maine. He eventually moved to South Portland Maine, where he

got a job at Forest City Chevrolet, where he became their truck manager. He loved this

dealership and the people he worked with that taught him the ropes. He would be so happy

when he got a deal, that he earned the nickname, “Dancing Bear” for his celebratory dance.

In the early days of his career, money was especially tight. Once, when one of the children was

young, the child asked for a bicycle for his birthday. He didn’t want to pressure his dad by asking

him, but the rest of the family knew and began to pray for a bike. When the family shared what

they were praying for, Paul said, “What are you trying to do to me?!” Belinda reminded him,

“This is not about you, Paul, it’s about whether God will provide the bike!” Then, when he went

back to work on Monday, the dealership surprised the sales force with a contest… whoever sold

the most cars that day would win a bike! Paul sold five cars in one day and came home with the

bike! During this time, Jerry and Dale Baker had started a new church work in Cape Elizabeth,

Maine and asked if Paul would fill in for them. They had the same passion as Paul did for God’s

Word, so he joined their ministry.

In a quick 10 years Paul and Belinda had six children and could not find a rental in Maine. That

year, Paul got pneumonia along with his precious daughter. He began looking at warmer

climates and also a thriving place for his children to find good jobs.

During those years, Paul had lost his mom to cancer and his dad had begun to tour the

Southwest to find a warmer place. He returned with newspapers from the places he visited. Paul

thought Phoenix looked like a good opportunity, but his wife thought to herself, “not over my

dead body!” How could she leave her family in beautiful coastal Maine for the desert? She

hoped this idea would pass, but it didn’t. Belinda was reminded and convicted that Paul was the

head of the home. He was accountable for the family. Looking back, she was thankful for God’s

direction and Paul’s leadership. She could not have known that down the road he would learn

how to swim in his own backyard, and learn how to sail at McCormick ranch.

In April, with snow still on the ground, the family sold much they accumulated, and they packed

the essentials in a 1950s truck-bed-turned-trailer. They pulled the trailer behind a blue station

wagon with fake wood paneling. They had made a pitstop in Pennsylvania at her sister Vangie’s

place that put them up for a few days. The rest of the way, they stayed at Holiday Inns because

children ate free in those years! Paul planned it all ahead of time. Along the way, Paul returned

to the restaurant that had denied Belinda crackers for the fussy kids… pointing to the floor, he

declared to the employees: “this is the most disgusting place in America.” They continued on

their way and got lost following the map they had, and became so discouraged. Just when they

were at their lowest, they looked up and saw a street sign that said “Harding.” God was in the

details, letting them know he was caring for them all the way. They got back on the right road

and arrived safely in Arizona.

When they came down the freeway, they stopped at Cordes Junction to get gas. When Paul

came out of the filling station, an old-timer told him he had a flat tire. Paul said, “I do not!”

because they had just put new tires on the trailer. Sure enough, it was flat because of a split

wheel. The old timer said, “I have one back at my place that I will trade with you for your tire.”

Not having any alternative, Paul took off in the old timer’s car in the middle of the wild west. Not

knowing if the family would ever see him again, they prayed like crazy. Thankfully, they soon

returned and fixed the problem. Later on they tried to track down the old timer, and they could

never find his place. They felt that that was the first time they had encountered an angel.

When they arrived in Scottsdale, they saw a place on Scottsdale Rd. directly across from the

Holiday Inn that had a sign “for rent.” But it looked so small they passed it off. But Paul could not

find a house rental for days, so he broke down and called. They said yes to 6 kids - a family of

8! In the past, they had only rented to snow birds, but they decided to rent that summer.

Amazing - everything right down to the silverware and linens were included - like a modern

Airbnb. Another on the long list of miracles.

When the summer was over, the rent was set to double - since the snowbirds were coming

back. So, they had to find a place, quick. They found a rent with option to buy in the Phoenix,

“All-Areas” section of the newspaper. The couple that owned the house was heading to Iraq in a

very short time. But the story gets complicated, and they were not able to come up with money

to finance it at the beginning, because the deal fell through with selling the car and trailer. So

Paul and Belinda began looking elsewhere, but could not find anything. They were getting

desperate, and called the couple back… money came in last minute. But could they get in touch

before they left for Iraq that night at midnight?! Sure enough, the phone rang, and they made

arrangements with the sellers. They rented with option to buy, and bought the house within the

year. Paul and Belinda made it their home, and still live there today.

Paul was able to provide for the family all those years. He always said she worked hard enough

at home that she should not have another job outside of the home.

The first year, he sold trucks at Lou Grubb Chevrolet, and it was hard. He was thrilled when Ray

Tanner Volvo hired him on. He promised in the interview to become a top salesman, and within

no time, he was. Soon, he was coming out with paperwork of closed deals, sniffing them as

“fresh, hot deals” came through like hot bread. They truly were a family - and he worked there

for 21 years. He went to weddings, had cookouts. Christmas parties at fabulous restaurants.

Picnics in the park. They lived 7 minutes from Paul’s job, so the kids knew that he could be

home soon if a catastrophe happened.

Paul would call his wife and gather the kids together to ask for prayers so that he could sell one

more car to hit his bonus. The kids recall seeing their mother on the long, corded phone, getting

the marching orders, gathering the kids for prayer, and then celebrating as he hit those

bonuses. None recall if he ever missed a single bonus. Another 5 prayer warriors were born in

Phoenix making it a total of 11 children.

During these days, the couple squeezed in as much time together as they could. They would

grab coffee and breakfast after dropping off the kids at school. Then, he would come home at

night and ride bikes with her - wearing the “blinking butt.” They loved their walks, picnics with

their kids in the park, letting off rockets, sailing at Lake Pleasant, riding dirt bikes, and shooting

guns in the desert.

But when the store closed, he transferred to Penske Volvo in North Scottsdale. He stayed there

until he was 60 years old, when his health began to fail. After years of long hours in the

automobile business, it was wonderful that they were able to enjoy 16 years catching up and

making up for lost time.

He called his brother and sister every weekend to see how they were doing and talk about old

times. He loved researching everything from yurt living to international bloggers. Some of his

favorite artists were Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Carole King, The Beatles (Paul was his favorite),

Simon and Garfunkel, Dire Straights, and many others. In his last year, he would sing birthday

songs with old tunes and new words, leaving them as voicemails to the members of his family

on their special day.

His favorite music at his home church was Maranatha! Music. He loved his years with The

Agape Flame class at Bethany Bible, as well as the great teaching and music of Calvary

Community Church.

Looking back, so much of life was teaching the children about prayer. Through many years of

car sales and making bonuses, health issues - eight years of dialysis, leg amputation, heart

issues, failing eyesight, failing hearing (after being able to hear a pin drop for so many years),

and constant pain - those precious prayers of his family and friends got him through. He was

even able to have his favorite haddock fish and chips dinner the Thursday prior to his passing.

He loved the Scriptures, and quoted it often. One of his favorites was Psalm 127: “Children are

an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a

mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.”

His children did an amazing job caring for all of his needs. The 50th wedding anniversary was

among his favorites. Each family member has contributed to the family immensely. Prayer and

encouraging words, marvelous provisions, precious artwork for the walls, building fences,

painting the house, installing windows, widening doors, the handmade dining room table built at

Washington High School’s shop, the kitchen cabinets and installing all the details, removing the

tile from the roof and reinstalling it after the underlayment was put down, and the list goes on

and on. The faithfulness of these arrows are astounding.

He missed in those last years making those famous Sunday spaghetti dinners and garlic bread.

He missed sitting around that 9 1/2 foot table and exchanging stories with the family. He was an

incredible cook that could whip up a world-class meal from anything he found in the fridge.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Timothy Kieborz, Dr. John Cooper, Dr. Larry Sobel, South

Phoenix Dialysis Center, Thompson Peak Hospital for their excellent years of care, and

especially to the great kindness and expertise to preserve his remaining leg by Dr. Yehia

Elebrashi and his marvelous assistants, Curt and Brandi at Vitality Foot and Ankle Institute.

We also wish to thank everyone for their prayers and support, as he fought so hard to stay a

little longer.

Paul was predeceased by his father Richard Harding Sr. and his mother, Ethelyn (Mather)

Harding of Maine.

Paul is survived by his wife Belinda, and his eleven children, which all live in Arizona: Paul

Harding Jr., Julie Kieborz, Virginia McCoy, Samuel Harding, Jacob Harding, Deborah Brommer,

James Harding, Elizabeth Christensen, Joseph Harding, Susan Martinez, and John Harding; his

brother, Richard Harding Jr. of Friendship, Maine, and his sister, Linda Gold of Winnepeg,

Manitoba, Canada. Also survived by 36 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

He prayed every night for each member of his family by name, as well as others outside his

family, totaling over 140 people every evening before he went to sleep. Nights were very hard

for him, but he would say he got time to spend time with The King of kings and Lord of lords,

Maker of heaven and earth.

In Paul’s last week, he was encouraged by 2 Timothy 2… “Thou therefore endure hardness,

as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” He endured hardness as a good soldier, and he knew his

time was soon. It had been 55 years of grace, grace years of marriage.

Pastor David MacAdam of New Life Community Church in Concord, Massachusetts, husband of

Belinda’s sister MaryEllen, plans to perform the memorial service on Monday, January 16, 2023

at 11am, at Phoenix Memorial Park & Mortuary, 200 W Beardsley Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85027.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.phoenixmemorialmortuary.com for the Harding family.