Harold died in Clearfield, UT, On 25 July 2003, due to a recent battle with leukemia combined with diabetic complication from which he had suffered since 1959.   His family includes his wife, Ara, of 45 years, their daughter Sandra Cramer of Newport, OR; son Gary of West Point; and six grandchildren.  Also included are three brothers.

Harold was born on 16 January 1931, in Neosho, MO. He graduated from Klamath Union High School in 1948. Harold then attended Oregon State University and participated in the NROTC program for two years prior to enlisting in the U. S. Navy.

He entered the U. S. Naval Academy with a Congressional appointment in 1952.  While Midshipman, he developed a keen interest in sailing, and became a member of the varsity sailing team.  Upon graduation with the Class of 1956, Harold was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.  His first assignment was at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston, TX. He retired from the Air Force as a First Lieutenant, for medical reasons, on 1 June 1965.  Subsequently, Harold embarked on a new career as a civil service employee of the Air Force.  He was a reliability engineer at Hill Air Force Base, UT, working on the F-16 fighter aircraft from 1966 until his retirement in 1981.

Harold’s interests in his retirement years were riding his motorcycle, reading technical magazines, and keeping current on aviation and space technology and missions.