Harriott J. Kimmel

1922 - 2018

Harriott J. Kimmel

Wilmington -

Harriott Kimmel died peacefully on June 23, at age 95.

Born in 1922, in Woodbury, New Jersey, Harriott was the daughter of Frederick S. and Bessie G. Johnson. In 1941 she graduated from Wilmington Friends School, and attended National Park Junior College in Washington, D.C., until it was taken over by the Walter Reed Hospital in 1942 to care for returning wounded service personnel.

In November of 1942, Harriott married the love of her life, Edward "Ned" Kimmel. They spent 63 happy years together until Ned's death in 2005, living in Annapolis, Maryland; Cambridge, Massachusetts; and then settling in Wilmington, Delaware.

Harriott was enthusiastically and lovingly involved in several lifetime projects: her family, her church, and her community. At Christ Church she served on the vestry, the altar guild, and was chairperson of the annual Green Show. She spearheaded a committee that founded Limen House for Women on South Broom Street. She was also a founding member of the Wellness Community of Delaware, a national cancer support group, now the Cancer Support Community Delaware.

She was an enthusiastic tennis player and walker. Another of Harriott's loves was spending time in Avalon, New Jersey, where she and Ned opened their home to family and friends over the years. She and Ned were among the founders of the Greenville Country Club.

Harriott was the last surviving member of the generation of sons and daughters-in-law of Husband E. Kimmel, who was the Commander in Chief of the U.S. and Pacific Fleets when it was attacked by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. She helped continue her family's fight to restore her Father-in-law's rank of Four Star Admiral, a struggle still being waged today.

Harriott was predeceased by her brother, Frederick S. Johnson, of Charlotte, North Carolina. She is survived by her four children: Dorothy K. Newlin (John) of Wilmington, Delaware; Manning M. Kimmel (Sheilah) of Rock Hill, South Carolina; Edward R. "Ted" Kimmel (Becky) of Wilson, Wyoming; and Harriott K. "Greer" Silliman (Troy) of Greenville, Delaware; ten grandchildren; and ten great grandchildren, each one her pride and joy.

A Memorial Service will be held at Christ Church, Christiana Hundred, on Friday, July 20, at 11:00 a.m. Burial will be private.

The family would like to thank the staff and nurses at Stonegates Health Care for their care and devotion.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to the Cancer Support Community Delaware, 4810 Lancaster Pike, Wilmington, DE 19807.

Chandler Funeral Home