Harriet Danielson Cone

Born in Windham, CT on Feb 9, 1939, Harriet Danielson Cone grew up next door to a library. Her parents, Tom and Julia Danielson, raised their children John, Harriet and Dana in such a way that they cultivated three independent, bright and curious souls. Each forging their own path, Harriet headed south to Duke for her RN (singing in the Duke choir as a student) before setting her sights on California. Two classmates were supposed to join her for this adventure, but when they backed out, her intrepid spirit didn’t hesitate and she made her way to San Francisco alone. She soon found work as a public health nurse, making house calls around the Bay area before becoming a pediatric nurse at Kaiser Hospital. Her love of pediatrics and caring for children was strongly influenced by her namesake aunt, Harriet Guild, who was a physician at Johns Hopkins, specializing in childhood kidney disease.

Friends introduced her to an OB-Gyn resident, William Cone, and they married on May 29, 1965—he always said their marriage license was the best $2 he ever spent! After a stint in Long Beach while he served in the Navy, they moved to Johnson City where they flourished.

They forged a full and many-faceted life together with a shared love of music, art, gardening, tennis, cooking, traveling and screened-in porches. “We practice every-day economy so we can be occasionally extravagant.” It was a true partnership and they were a magnificent team. They would dance and laugh and sing silly songs, especially on beach trips, and they were good friends to one another. Each had a gift for maintaining lifelong friendships which they tended gently and faithfully, but they also found new friends through their shared interests and trips.

For over 50 years Harriet was a devoted member of St John’s Episcopal Church as well as the Mountain View Garden Club and Questers Book Club, representing lifelong passions she cultivated and treasured. Her “one year” leading the flower ministry at St. John’s turned into nineteen, and she would share her magnolia blossoms and hydrangea in displays for special occasions. She loved to read and was an enthusiastic supporter of the Johnson City Public Library, more recently through the Friends of the Library Board and their book sales. She even went so far as to schedule her brother Dana’s trips to Johnson City so he could help!

She was kind, observant and strong, caring and compassionate. She knit dozens of pairs of baby booties and created soft flannel baby blankets for swaddling to share with friends. She was an accomplished seamstress, making clothes for herself, her children and grandchildren, and even drapes once. She would dry sheets on the clothesline, always planted a vegetable garden, composted and recycled, and made and shared special soups and baked treats with those who could use some homemade cheer. She was a good listener, loved to tell stories, and thoroughly enjoyed lively conversations. She loved nature and when hikes in the mountains gave way to walks in the neighborhood, she still enjoyed the changing seasons and fresh air.

She died at home on December 4, 2025 and will be greatly missed by her two daughters, Leslie Pagnotta and Cyn Slingsby, her three grandchildren Vincenzo, Stella and Scarlet and her son-in-law Giovanni. The service will be Saturday, January 10 at 11a.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the St. John’s Friends of Music Fund or the Johnson City Public Library Fund with the East Tennessee Foundation.

Memories and condolences may be shared via www.morrisbaker.com

Morris-Baker Funeral Home, 2001 E. Oakland Ave., Johnson City, is honored to serve the Cone family. (423) 282-1521