Nancy Harder

Nancy A. Harder, age 62, of Willmar, died Thursday afternoon at the Belgrade Nursing Home in Belgrade, Minnesota.

A prayer service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 16, at Hope Presbyterian Church in Spicer with visitation one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be at Church Hill Cemetery near Hector. Arrangements are with the Peterson Brother Funeral Home in Willmar. (www.petersonbrothers.com)

Nancy Ann Harder (Olson) was born on May 1, 1951 to Irvin and Lola (Kirk) Olson. She was raised in Atwater, Minnesota, living with her mother and grandparents, Mable & George Kirk. She graduated from Atwater High School in 1970. Her passions growing up included horseback riding, the Atwater Saddle Club, and spending as much time as she could with her family.

On June 8, 1973, she married Lonnie Harder and moved to Willmar. She was a stay at home mother until 1987 when she started work for the Jennie-O Turkey Store, where she stayed until 1996. She then moved on to Nelsen's Cleaners in 1999 where she was going to retire from later this year.

Nancy has always been the kind of person to help anyone with anything that she was able to. She had one of the kindest hearts on the planet. She will be sorely missed by all those she has known.

On February 26, Nancy was diagnosed with a fast growing brain tumor. She was discharged from the hospital to the Belgrade Nursing Home.

She is survived by her husband Lonnie; her son, Michael; and her grandchildren, Grace, Michael, and Constance, all from Willmar. Also surviving are her sister, Sharon (Gene) Ruchti of Atwater; her uncle, Robert (Darlene) Kirk of Atwater; brother-in-law, Jerry (Betty) Harder of New London; and sister-in-law, Barb Harder of South Dakota; as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Mable & George Kirk; her mother, Lola; her father, Irvin; her twin brother, Daniel; and brothers Michael and Boyd.

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