Lawrence Adventure Wilfred Harding 1930–2026

Lawrence Harding, former Chief of Section with the Demographic and Social Statistics Division, passed away on May 28^th at the age of 96. Lawrence joined the Division in 1975, retiring in 1990. He continued to consult for the UN in several countries, the most notable being Namibia, where he was responsible for establishing the first-ever Statistics Office and conducting a national census.

Lawrence was born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He was awarded a bachelor’s degree from the Fourah Bay College (then affiliated with the University of Durham, England) and a master’s degree from Penn State University. A statistician and a civil servant of the Government of Sierra Leone, Lawrence established the Central Statistics Office and led the national population census in December 1974, before moving to New York to join the UN.

Lawrence married Koni (Felicia) Harding, a teacher and fellow Fourah Bay College alum, in Freetown in 1961; she predeceased him in 2019 after a 30-year career as an early childhood educator at the U.N. International School. Lawrence and Koni raised their family at Hill Station in Freetown, in Manhattan, and in New Rochelle, New York. Lawrence is survived by his children Owolabi Bjalkander, Lawrence Harding Jr., Donald Harding, and Augustin Tella and their families, as well as by a large and loving extended family in the U.S., Canada, the Gambia, France, Sierra Leone, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

A husband, a father, a brother, a devoted friend, and an enthusiastic Yankees fan, Lawrence took great pride in his family and his work. He remained committed to and yearned for the prosperity of the country of his birth. His calm, intelligence, devotion, and sense of humor are lasting gifts to the family and friends who survive him.

A wake will be held from 4:00 to 8:00 PM Eastern Time on Friday, July 17, 2026, at the George T. Davis Funeral Home, 16 Shea Place, New Rochelle, NY.

The funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM Eastern Time on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 311 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, NY. The service will also be livestreamed at Trinity Episcopal New Rochelle - YouTube. Interment will follow at Beechwoods Cemetery, New Rochelle.

In lieu of flowers, the family has established a GoFundMe campaign in Lawrence’s memory to benefit St. Philip’s, Patton Street, Lawrence’s church in Freetown. Funds will go to the church’s school, the building of the Curate’s residence and other infrastructural needs:

https://gofund.me/168be5584.