Oma Sue (Hanry) Harter, 87, died Thursday at her El Dorado home. She spent most of her life in El Dorado. Born April 13, 1938, at St. Anne’s Hospital in El Dorado to Blumer Lenoir Hanry and Evelyn Janette Humphries Hanry, Oma Sue spent her early years in Urbana, raised by her hardworking parents – an oil field technician and a stay-at-home mom who transitioned to being a teacher. She was the older sister to brother Lenoir, and they had an idyllic childhood in a simpler time, growing up in a one-bedroom house with little money, but lots of love and outdoor adventures.
As a child, she played with dolls, mothering them and taking care of them – a trait she would use to enrich the lives of hundreds of future students.
A 1956 graduate of El Dorado High, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Southern State College in Magnolia in 1959, and in 1974 attained her Master of Arts in Education at Louisiana Tech University. She held a lifetime teaching certificate, certified in k-12 counseling, high school English and Social Studies, and college-level classes, now known as Dual Enrollment. Oma Sue was an avid learner her entire life. She taught at Barton Junior High, Urbana, and was a principal at Holy Redeemer Catholic School before transitioning to Parker’s Chapel in 1975, where she worked for another 40 years and continued to volunteer even after retirement. Several generations benefited from her grace, assiduous care, and academic motivation.
She married young – just a week after graduating from college – to the only man she had ever loved, her husband of 66 years, Keith R. Harter. They raised three athletic boys, who were her greatest joy: these children, Keith Rex, and twins Kenneth (Kenny) and Kary, were brought up to be upstanding, hardworking, respectful men. She held great love for her daughters-in-law, Andrea, Michele, and Aimee. She is survived by 12 loving grandchildren: Kandace Belasco, Alex Harter, Kyle Harter, Avery Marczynski, Kayla Ward, Jacob Harter, Emma Harter, Miley Harter, Claire Clayton, Will Harter, Trent Harter, and Molly Harter. Her bountiful family includes 10 great-grandchildren: Blake, Jocelynn, Lila, Judah, Maisy, Ellison, Graham, Lottie, and twins, Margaret and Marshall.
She enjoyed watching baseball games, visiting with her grandchildren, and taking rides around town, but she also dabbled in politics just a bit – writing occasionally to then-U.S. Sen. David Pryor to protest about cuts to medical programs for seniors, something she felt was an injustice. She was passionate about supporting causes to better people’s lives, donating for decades to cancer research and to children’s homes in the state of Arkansas.
She was the apple of her father’s eye and a dutiful, loving daughter.
Oma Sue had simple tastes. She liked Depression-era glass and had a small obsession with whimsical Santas. After retirement, she nurtured her other passions, including bible study, keeping an active learning guide on Fruits of the Spirit. She shared her love of quilting and special recipes with Michele. Aimee, her taxi driver for the last decade, was a Godsend companion while she battled multiple myeloma and beat it into remission. All three of her “daughters” were teachers, and several grandchildren also work in public service communities.
Her sons will miss the multiple calls each week from her just expressing her love. She loved to talk sports with her son, Keith; praised Kary’s expert cooking; and relied completely on Kenny’s advice for all business matters.
She was a long-time member of the Hillsboro Church of Christ worship community and well known and well regarded as a virtuous woman with a big heart. It’s difficult to write a summative view of a life well lived. But Oma Sue knew she was blessed, and we were, too, for having loved her. She will be missed for a lifetime. A visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, August 19, at Young’s Funeral Home. A Memorial service will be at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 20, at the Hillsboro Church of Christ.
Donations to honor her faith can be sent to the church or to a cancer foundation that she treasured: Teamcorrie Cancer Foundation, 145 Parker Dr., El Dorado, Arkansas 71730.
Condolences can be expressed online at www.youngsfuneralhome.com
