Beirne Minor Harding

Beirne Minor Harding, loving mother, beloved wife, and highly respected attorney, died Thursday, July 23, 2015, with her family by her side. She is survived by her husband of forty-one years, Benjamin H. Harding, Jr.; her daughter, Emily Minor Harding; son-in-law, David; grandchildren Abigail Beirne and Benjamin Fenway; sister Tina Minor Wall and brother-in-law Sterling Wall; sister Elizabeth Minor Robinson and brother-in-law Bill Robinson; brother David Minor and sister-in-law Tracy Minor; and all their children, who were her close and beloved extended family. Beirne loved sitting on the lodge porch and dancing in the kitchen with all of us.

Beirne was a graduate of Villas Parochial School, Saint Leo's Parochial School, Bishop McGuinness Parochial School, Sweet Briar College, and Wake Forest University School of Law, where she was an editor of the Law Review and where she met her husband, Ben.

Beirne began her law practice at Breed, Abbot, Morgan in New York City, then returned to Winston-Salem after her father's death.

Beirne was a trailblazer for women in the law. She was the first woman to practice law in Yadkin County, the first woman Assistant District Attorney in the Twenty-Third Judicial District, and the first woman to serve as District Attorney for the Twenty-Third Judicial District. She finished her career in the Twenty-First Judicial District, where she served as a senior Assistant District Attorney and a mentor for other prosecutors.

Beirne was a fierce competitor in the courtroom, protecting victims and making sure justice was served. She made law in several cases by innovative approaches to difficult prosecutions, all upheld by the Appellate Courts. She loved all children and was their untiring protector in the courtroom. The Governor awarded her the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the state's highest civilian honor, for her service to North Carolina. A colleague called her "the epitome of grace, intelligence, and professionalism...one of the state's finest trial lawyers, but also one of the kindest, most generous, and classiest."

She was preceded in death by her father, John Minor, who inspired her to be a lawyer and instilled in her a deep faith in her church and a strong sense of what was right; by her mother, Emily Minor, who passed along her poise, grace, and a love of the South; and by her elder brother, Mike Minor, whom she loved unconditionally.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at Holy Family Catholic Church in Clemmons, NC, at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 28th, with a grave side service to follow at the Huntsville Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.