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Harnden, Samuel P.

November 23, 1952 –
 September 2, 2022

Obituary

Samuel Paul Harnden   Sam Harnden, 71, died at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, TX of complications from a stroke on Saturday, December 26, 2015.   Born on April 6 1944, the only child of Robert Paul and Mary LaRue Harnden who raised him in Carterville, MO where he graduated from high school. Sam went on to Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS where he earned a B.A. in Design in 1968 prior to serving as a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Airborne Rangers and ending his two-year tour of duty in Vietnam with a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars.  Upon his return stateside in 1971, Sam earned a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Missouri in Columbia and went on to pursue graduate studies at MU and at Tulane University.   During that period, he met and married Marci Crawford and they had two beloved sons, Samuel Benjamin and Lucas Montgomery. In the first year of their marriage, Marci joined Sam as “house parent” at the PiKA house in Columbia and Sam enjoyed his fraternity brothers right up until the time of his death.   In 1974, Sam went to work for the Missouri Pacific Railroad and held a number of top managerial positions there, including a key position in the merger team with the Union Pacific Railroad. He and the family were relocated several times by the company to Houston, Chicago, New Orleans, back to Houston and lastly to Dallas.  Sam was a top performer with safety and several other areas over the years, received numerous awards, and retired in 2001 to form his own asset management firm.   Sam had many interests outside of work including: stained glasswork, gardening, woodworking, watersports and camping at his beloved Table Rock Lake in the Missouri Ozarks with his childhood friend, Kenny Olson and wife Linda; and he was a lifelong runner and fitness buff.   Survivors include his wife, Marci Crawford Harnden, Dallas; son Benjamin, wife Morna and grandson, Liam, Austin, TX; and youngest son, Luke and his fiancée Dr. Amy Gowan ­­­of Dallas. Sam was preceded in death by his parents.   Military funerals services will be held at Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery on Friday, January 29, 2016 at 1:30pm.  Memorial contributions can be made in Sam’s honor to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America and/or Disabled American Veteran – DAV.org‎  

    Kiki and Randy Craig
    26 Jan 2016
    9:03pm

    Our Sandberg family was more special for having Sam as part of it. Marci’s uncle, my dad Charles, thought the world of Sam. Rest in peace, dear man. Live strong and in his honor, carry on, Marci, Ben, and Luke.

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"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
K. Barker
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"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
R. Woll
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"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
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"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
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"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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