Franklin Journal Staff Writer Pam Harnden appreciated the small and simple things.

As a reporter for the Maine Trust for Local News, working in community newsrooms in Franklin and Androscoggin counties, she attended most annual community events — whether they were the first, the eighth or the 50th. She attended very nearly every Farmington Select Board meeting, even the ones with short agendas, to write about what’s going on in town. On the first day of school, she could be found at a school bus stop, camera and notepad in hand.

Harnden believed that all history deserves to be remembered.

The Wilton resident died Saturday, two months before her 70th birthday, from sudden heart attacks — next to her favorite rose bush on her property.

Harnden gave her all to the community during more than five decades she spent in Franklin County.

“I loved watching peoples faces light up when they realized she was at an event,” Jessi Harnden, her daughter-in-law, said. “She was a big presence for a very humble woman.”

A RICH LIFE

Harnden was born in Boston in 1955. She moved to Weld as a teenager, where her family ran a dairy farm that sparked her passion for agriculture. She graduated from Mt. Blue High School in 1973, then attended the University of Maine, where she studied agriculture and business.

Harnden spent the rest of her life in Franklin County. She ran a farm stand and apple orchard. She served on the board for the Franklin County Water and Soil District. She played the bass drum and glockenspiel for decades in the Western Maine Foothills Band, formerly known as the Old Crow Indian Band. She was an active member at the Congregational Church of Wilton, where she stepped in to lead services and deliver sermons when there wasn’t a reverend around.

Meanwhile, she was the core of her large family. Harnden spent her final years taking care of her mother and sister, doting on her 12 grandchildren, and being a guiding light for her three children and their spouses.

“When she talked about her family, the band or her garden, she radiated,” said Doris Austin, the Livermore Falls town clerk.

FRANKLIN COUNTY’S TRUSTY REPORTER

Harnden began working as a staff writer for the Livermore Falls Advertiser and Franklin Journal in 2012.

“When she got the job, I knew she found her niche,” friend and local politician Tom Saviello said.

She covered town government and the local school districts in Farmington, Livermore and Livermore Falls. Beyond her assigned beats, Harnden was passionate about reporting on veterans, agriculture and philanthropy. She loved writing about the Spruce Mountain High School robotics team and the yearly start of local farmer’s markets.

“She was a true community reporter and really cared about the people and organizations she wrote about,” said coworker Dee Menear, a reporter for the Rangeley Highlander.

Harnden wrote six to eight stories each week, up to 5,000 stories over the course of 13 years. She also took photographs, edited most stories, proofread print editions and filled in as managing editor when her editor, A.M. Sheehan, took time off.

“Pam wanted the readers to get what they needed,” Sheehan said. “She never said no, worked beyond her hours and was our rock up there.”

Harnden knew the correct spelling for the names of most business owners, elected officials and longtime residents — and she swiftly clocked mistakes.

“She knew everyone’s history across Franklin County, knew the minute any cow had given birth or escaped, knew when to be at the senior living center to celebrate our newest centenarian,” said Andrea Swiedom, who worked alongside Harnden in 2020.

When new reporters joined, often early in their careers, she took them under her wing and taught them what readers care about.

“For a new journalist starting out and learning the area and the systems of a newsroom, she was endlessly patient and endlessly sharing her time, expertise and feedback,” Swiedom said.

THE LEGACY SHE LEAVES BEHIND

Harnden believed it was important to connect with readers, prioritize accurate and ethical reporting and remain curious.

“Because of that, they trusted her,” Sheehan said.

And Harnden’s portfolio showed a clear commitment to local news.

“We are in collaboration with the communities we cover,” Harnden said recently about why it is important to protect hyper-local news.

Jessi Harnden said the way her mother-in-law took care of others inspired her.

“I learned that even small acts of reassurance, kindness and caring can make a big ripple effect,” she said. “Mom didn’t even realize the ripple effects she had on people.”

Harnden’s family is planning a celebration of life ceremony to be held by the end of July. The biggest challenge, they said, is finding a space large enough to fit all who want to attend.