Rebecca McClernon Harden

Rebecca “Becky” McClernon Harden, 69, of Graham, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on October 12, 2025, surrounded by her loving family.

The eldest child of the late Reverend Robert “Bob” McClernon and Josephine “JoNell” Willhauck McClernon, Becky was born in Chicago, Illinois. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to North Carolina, residing first in Charlotte and then later in Durham, where Becky continued to reside for most of her adult life. As a child, Becky was known to be creative, kind, and a lover of nature and animals, with some of her fondest childhood memories being of annual family beach trips to the North Carolina coast, a beloved tradition she would later continue as an adult with her own family. In her early twenties, Becky earned her diploma in nursing from Watts College of Nursing and went on to spend many years serving elderly patients, whom she loved, primarily as a long-term care nurse at Hillcrest Convalescent Center in Durham. Her compassion, humor, and dedication touched countless lives throughout her nursing career.

Becky had a deep love for music, literature, nature, and gathering with family and friends for “good food and fellowship.” Like her mother JoNell, she had a gorgeous singing voice that blessed all who heard it—from the Watts Street Baptist Church choir in her younger years to the family kitchen on Sunday mornings, as she brewed her exceptional coffee—prepared using a recipe handed down by her grandmother Toy—and sang along to WCPE’s “Great Sacred Music” before church. She was a talented poet who wrote wonderful works on the same typewriter her father Bob used to write many of his sermons. Becky also found joy in feeding every bird in God’s creation, and spontaneously giving thoughtful gifts to family, friends, and strangers alike. She enjoyed cooking for loved ones at family gatherings, where she was well known for her excellent baked beans and her delightful, infectious laughter. Throughout the years, Becky also tended to many animals both big and small with the same fastidious care with which she kept her home and tended to her patients, and she was deeply devoted to her Christian faith and to her family.

Becky is survived by her husband of 45 years, Luther Thomas Harden III; her beloved children, Robert Harden (Pamela) of Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Jessica Womack (Percy III) of Greensboro, North Carolina; and her grandchildren, Colton and Jackson Harden, and Grier, Percy IV, Luther, and Pearl Womack, all of whom she adored. She is also survived by her siblings, Daniel McClernon (Anita) of Cary, North Carolina, and Elizabeth Becker (Joe) of Beaufort, North Carolina; her nieces and nephews, Renee McClernon and Eli Dampier-McClernon (Nataliia Ponomarenko), Joanna John (Will), and Ben Morton (Bekah); her great-nephews Oliver and Callum John, and Oles Ponomarenko; and many cherished extended family members and dear friends.

A memorial service celebrating Becky’s life will be held at Watt Street Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina on Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 10 am, with a reception to follow immediately after the service in the church’s fellowship hall. The service will be livestreamed for those who are unable to attend in person.

Becky will be remembered for her kindness, faith, and for her unwavering love for her family. Memories of her generosity and of her sweet, singular spirit will continue to bless all who knew and loved her.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Watts Street Baptist Church Capital Fund or to Meals on Wheels Durham, an organization dear to Becky’s heart where she volunteered for many years.