Dale Harsh | Eastern NC Now

    Dale Harsh, a resident of Washington, North Carolina - and a lifelong Ohioan prior to 2019 - passed away on Monday, Dec. 8.

    Dale was a runner, a golfer, a tennis and bridge player; a music-lover and dancer, a pianist and an avid Ohio State fan. He was husband of 62 years to Ginny, Dad to Liane and Eric, and Opa to Sydney and Finn. Dale was many things, but he was defined by his art.

    Dale was born on March 7, 1933, in Middlebranch, Ohio, the youngest of nine Harsh children. His mother always said she had "four boys, four girls ... and Dale." Standing out in a crowd would also manifest later in life when, as an established artist, he was welcomed into a social group of fellow Ohio Watercolor Society members comprised of eight women watercolorists ... and Dale.

    Dale started drawing in high school, but he said the stuff he did back then "wasn't good." He attended Ohio State on the G.I. Bill, where he majored in commercial art because "that was what was available" to someone looking for a career in the arts. Dale and Ginny met at a wedding: Dale was a friend of the groom; Ginny, a bridesmaid. In those early years, they shared a mutual love of dancing the night away at the dance halls of the era, where big bands still played jazz and the jitterbug. Of dancing, Dale said he and Ginny "were very good."

    For 30 years, Dale had a successful career in commercial art, but he was passionate about creating his own: delicate watercolors, masterfully casting light and shadow over familiar Ohio landscapes - rural farms, streetscapes of his chosen hometown of Chagrin Falls, the waves of Lake Erie - as well as scenes that caught his eye wherever they traveled. He loved an artistic challenge.

    His talent was a family affair. After dinner each night, Dale would sit down at the piano, providing background music while the kids did their homework. When he finished a painting, he'd place the nameless work on the living room mantelpiece, where he, Ginny, Liane and Eric would brainstorm titles until one stuck.

    In February 2024, Arts of the Pamlico's Turnage Theatre in Washington, NC, hosted a monthlong exhibit of Dale's paintings.

    "It was time," Dale said of the culmination of a lifetime's work.

    The world has lost a talented artist, but Dale's memory will live on through his paintings; through his wife, Virginia Edwards Harsh; daughter Liane and her partner, Vail Rumley; son Eric and his wife, Sarah Welch; grandchildren Sydney and Finn Harsh; his beloved dog, GG; and many extended family members.

    A celebration of Dale's life will be held the weekend of Jan. 17, 2026, in Washington.

    In lieu of flowers the family kindly asks that memorial contributions be made to the Beaufort County Arts Council, P.O. Box 634, Washington, NC 27889.

    Online condolences may be offered to the family by visiting www.paulfuneralhome.com

    Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington is honored to serve the Harsh family.