Barbara Delano Harding died Wednesday, August 29 having battled lung cancer since last October. She was the wife of Richard R. Harding. They would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Nov. 15.

Barbara, known as Del, was born in Boston on August 24, 1923. Her parents died at her early age, so she lived with her grandparents in Point-of-Pines, Revere until about 12 years of age when she moved to Belmont to live with her mother’s sister, Mrs. E. Bailey (Helen) Frye. In Belmont, Del immediately met her young neighbor, Janice Brett Mead, who became her longest and dearest friend.

Del attended Belmont Schools, Brimmer-May School and Colby Junior College. She was an outdoor person, who tended her garden at the Hill street house and actively participated in Lexington Garden Club and Wednesday Workshop activities. She taught sailing at summer camp and waterskied at the Vineyard, skied in snow in the United States and Europe, and was handicap golf champion one year at the Lexington Golf Club. She loved to tell a good joke and reacted on hearing one with no restraint.

Survivors include her husband Richard; son and wife Richard and Deb Harding of Lowell, daughter and husband, Peter and Janice Cronstrom of Dunstable, and son and wife James and Andrea Harding of Lexington; grandchildren Richard Tracey and his wife Tracey of Westford, Christine McManus and her husband John of Nashua, N.H., Kelley and Mathew Harding of Lexington; step-grandchildren Jeff Cronstrom and his wife Manjola of Pepperell, Kristen Le and her husband Tri of Flemington, N.J.; great-grandchildren Shane McManus and Kimberly Harding; step-great-grandchildren Abriana Cronstrom and Tuyêt-Mai Le; her cousin Charlotte Frye of Orleans; sister in law Barbara Kakas; and niece Sallyann Kakas Quebec and family.

Del will be interred in the family cemetery plot on the Vineyard in a private ceremony. Donations in her memory may be sent to Hospice Visiting Nurse, 607 North avenue, Suite 17, Wakefield, MA 01880.