WILLIAM G. HARDING

HARDING, William G. Recently of Cataumet, MA and Palm Beach, FL, died October 5, 2016 in West Palm Beach, FL, at the age of 91. Raised in Chestnut Hill, MA, he attended Noble and Greenough School and Harvard College. He served in the Navy during WWII and worked in investment banking before returning to his roots and passion for sailing, launching a sailmaking company, HARDING SAILS, in Marion, MA. An avid sailor and racer in the old wooden N. G. Herreshoff H 12 class boats in Buzzards Bay, he introduced a fiberglass replica in 1973, adopting the local name DOUGHDISH, which became a popular and successful series. In 1983 he discovered a long-idle one-of-a-kind L. Francis Herreshoff boat named BEN MY CHREE, replicating this design in fiberglass, calling the series STUART KNOCKABOUT. In addition to his love of sailing, Bill was an excellent golfer, winning the Massachusetts State Amateur Golf Championship in 1958. An all-around athlete, he played several varsity sports while at Harvard. With a marvelous voice he sang in a barbershop quartet for years. As an artist, he crafted halfhull Herreshoff boat models in his woodshop. Mr. Harding leaves his beloved wife of 40 years, Jacqueline, as well as 4 children, William Jr., Alice (Lee), Richard, and Joan. He also leaves his stepdaughters, Alison Arrouet and Patricia Burnham Brock, 6 grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. A family memorial is planned for next summer.