Harriet Carson Hooper, age 86, died on November 5, 2020, in Denver, Colorado, after a long struggle with dementia. She was preceded in death by her parents, William Edward and Mavis Emerson Hooper. She is survived by her sister, Helen Savage of Florence, AL; her three children, Robert Carson of Muscle Shoals, AL, Anne Carson Baer of Denver, CO, Thomas Hooper Carson of Durham, NC; her four grandchildren, Jane Katherine Baer of Denver, CO, Carson Elizabeth Baer of New York, NY, Leah Callaway Carson of New York, NY and William Hooper Carson of Durham, NC. Harriet was a direct descendent of William Hooper, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from North Carolina. Born in Anniston, AL, Harriet’s family later moved to Sheffield, AL where she graduated as salutatorian from Sheffield High School. Following high school, she attended the University of Alabama where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English, served as president of Pi Beta Phi, and was inducted into Mortar Board. After raising her children in Northwest Alabama, Harriet moved to North Carolina in 1986.
Harriet was a voracious reader and lifelong learner who exuded a joie de vivre. She always loved a good story whether it was told among friends and family or through film or literature. She was a true “people person” who never met a stranger, sometimes to the embarrassment of her children. Harriet was an excellent southern cook whose specialties were pimento cheese, fried chicken, mac & cheese, and pound cake. She also loved needlecrafts and created many family heirlooms with her knitting, cross stitch and needlepoint. During the 1970s, she owned and operated To the Point, a shop devoted to needlecrafts. In addition to running the shop, Harriet also worked as a Realtor and had a later career as a human resources manager. She was an early supporter of civil rights and was just as comfortable playing bridge at the country club as opening her home to a struggling AIDS patient. As an enthusiastic supporter of the arts, Harriet was integral in the founding of The Tennessee Valley Art Center in Tuscumbia. In addition, she was an inaugural member of the Nasher Art Museum at Duke University. Harriet loved music and laughing, and she was always up for an adventure. She never hesitated to jump into a swimming pool or lake whether fully clothed or in a swimsuit, and at age 74 she went skydiving with her daughter-in-law, Susan. Wilson Lake was a favorite destination where she learned to sail and ski and even once challenged herself by swimming across the entire lake.
Many years before her death, Harriet penned a living will describing when her family would know she was ready to go. In recent years, she did indeed stop asking for “ice cream, a cup of coffee, fresh tomatoes, shrimp, ice cream, her homemade chicken salad, English muffins, ice cream, apple with peanut butter, Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux cookies, and ice cream.” It was clearly her time after a long life well-lived.
