Kenneth Leon Harder was born on March 4, 1940, in Hutchinson, Kansas, and died March 28, 2026, in McKinney, Texas. He was the middle son of Herbert and Jane Harder. His family lived in Marfa and Odessa before moving to Fort Worth where Ken graduated from Paschal High School in 1958. He joined the Air Force and served in the Air National Guard where he learned photography, which became a lifelong hobby. Ken graduated form Arlington State College (now University of Texas at Arlington) in 1967 and joined Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. His career with the Bell System took him to Dallas, St. Louis, Fort Worth, New York City, and New Jersey. He was very active with the Boy Scouts of America as an adult leader and was a member of the First United Methodist Church of McKinney.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his younger brother Kyle Harder, and his former wife, Trudy Robinson. He is survived by his wife, Lajuanna of Fairview, son, Kevin and wife Jackie Harder of Sudbury, Massachusetts, daughter, Kendra and husband, Denis Putnel of Arlington, sister, Sandra Novey of Paradise, and sister-in-law, Dora Harder of Fort Worth. He is also survived by grandchildren, Ethan, Logan, and Emma Riley, granddaughters, Molly, Claire, and Hannah Harder, nephews, David Novey and Jesse Harder, and nieces, Janet (Robert) Gay, Carol (Mike) Rugowski and their daughter, Sydney, and Karen Novey.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at the First United Methodist Church, 315 N. Church Street, McKinney.
You may honor him with a donation to your favorite charity or to Alzheimer’s research.