William Thomas Harding III

The Rev. William (Bill) Thomas Harding III, a loving husband, father and missionary statesman, died peacefully at home on Jan. 2, 2026. He was 97.

Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, to William T. Harding Jr. and Alice Best Harding, Bill had two brothers: preceded in death by Burt Harding (Letty) and survived by the Honorable Major B. Harding (Jane).

He was married to Elaine Brownlee Harding for 49 years until her death in 1999. They had five children: William T. Harding IV (Grace), Joe Harding (Kay), Don Harding (Carol), Gwen Harding Smith (Stephen) and David Harding (Merrie). He also is survived by 17 grandchildren and 48 great-grandchildren who lovingly called him Paw Paw.

Bill is survived by his second wife, Betty Hardee Harding, who he married in 2006, extending their family with her three sons: Roger Hardee (Rhonda), Ray Hardee (Andrea) and Richard Hardee (Traci); along with Betty's nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Bill was a member of Calvary Church in Charlotte for 80 years, joining at age 17. He graduated from Charlotte Central High School in 1948, attended The Citadel from 1948 to 1949 and graduated from Columbia International University in 1950.

After pastoring churches in Jacksonville, Florida, and Rock Hill, South Carolina, Bill and Elaine moved to Ethiopia in 1954 to serve as missionaries with SIM (Serving in Mission). Fluent in Amharic, they ministered in rural and urban communities, sharing the gospel, teaching Scripture and serving as pastor of the International Evangelical Church in Addis Ababa. Bill later represented SIM in North America, preaching at church conferences, college campuses and recruiting missionaries. He made many return trips to Ethiopia to visit friends and preach at conferences.

On the morning of the day he died, Bill prayed by name for his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren - 131 family members in all.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Harding Memorial Bible School in Ethiopia through Senai Global, Box 133, Waxhaw, NC 28173, or as a designated gift online at Senai Global (see link below)