Elsie Harding

Elsie Harding, 99½, of Sacramento, passed away on February 28, 2026, in Elk Grove. Born on September 22, 1926, in Hulme, Manchester, England, she was the daughter of Edmund John Bennell and Mary Alice Hawcroft. She attended school in Manchester and married Buddy E. Harding on November 16, 1943, during World War II. In 1945, she bravely crossed the Atlantic by ship to begin a new life in America.

After settling in Sacramento, Elsie held various jobs before beginning a nearly 30-year career with Pacific Telephone Company, where she worked as an engineer. In retirement, she found purpose and community through volunteering with The Salvation Army and faithfully attending Church and Home League gatherings.

Preceded in death by her brothers Ron Youd, Jack Griffiths, and Jack Bennell, her sister Edna Coombes, and all their spouses, Elsie is survived by her daughters Susan Callaway and Denise Flynn and their spouses, her son Jeffrey Harding, her nieces Brenda Thornton, Barbara Coombes, and Molly West and their spouses, her grandchildren Jennifer Furgerson, Meghan Hamilton, Kaitlyn Johnson, and Ryan Murray and their spouses, and five great-grandchildren whom she dearly loved.