Katherine Jean Harig

Katherine Richardson Harig, born December 13, 1946 in Painesville, Ohio, passed away peacefully on April 11th, 2025 in Seaford, Delaware. Kathy lived her life surrounded, supported and driven by her love of books. A trained librarian, she realized her dream of owning a bookstore in 1990 when she became a partner along with Paige Rose and Sue Feder in “The Butler Did It” on Fells Point in Baltimore Maryland. Then in 2004, she established Mystery Loves Company, an independent bookstore. It was housed in a historical bank building near the waterfront in Oxford, MD, a little town dating back to before the Revolutionary War on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. That is where many readers found the books they will always keep on their shelves. When asked why she specialized in mysteries, Kathy said, “Mysteries provide escape and adventure, but they also challenge our brains and make us smarter. They don’t dumb down. They elevate." Above all, she was a champion of authors, many with international reputations she helped build and those who had a dream. Many hours were spent chatting over English bone china cups of Earl Grey and Lady Grey tea and pastries from her kitchen. Her whispers of encouragement will be with them always. Her love of libraries continued as she served as a member of the Talbot County Free Library Board of Trustees member from 2013-2017 and helped plan the Among Friends event. After leaving the board, she facilitated some author programs and donated new mysteries for the book sale. She is also a member and supporter of “Sisters in Crime” https://www.sistersincrime.org. Her work with books began in high school at the Morley Library, Painesville, Ohio. She graduated Cum Laude from Lake Erie College with a BA in English in 1969 and earned a master’s degree in library science in 1971 from Catholic University, Washington, D.C. Then for 3 years, she worked at 3 different Army Post libraries in Frankfurt, Germany followed by a year at the Continuing Education Library and Network Exchange Project in Washington, D.C. In 1975, she began work at the Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore as a Branch manager and later at Roland Park Library also in Baltimore. In 1980, she authored “Libraries, The Military, and Civilian Life” based on her experience in these varied occupations. Kathy loved small towns. She lived with her husband of 55 years, Thomas J. Harig, in Sherwood and Oxford, Maryland and a villa in South Central France in Salignac-Evigues. Kathy is survived by her husband Thomas J. Harig, and cousins Gerald Sharpee, Wake Forest, North Carolina; Daryl Sharpee, Linda Punzenburger, and Janet Hartland all of West Bend, Wisconsin; and Donna Schmitz of Portland, Oregon; David Juve, Deforest, Wisconsin; and Lynn Schroeder, Palm Coast, Florida. She was preceded in death by her mother, Deloris (Gray) Richardson; her father William Richardson of Painesville, Ohio; her mother’s sisters Aunt Arlene (Gray) Sharpee and Uncle, William Sharpee of West Bend, Wisconsin; Aunt Shirley (Gray) Juve and Uncle-Leroy Juve of Palm Coast, Florida; cousins Robert Juve of Macon, Georgia, and Bradley Juve of Madison, Wisconsin. A Memorial Service will be held at 1pm on May 29th at the Oxford United Methodist Church, 101 North Morris Street, Oxford, MD, immediately followed by a Celebration of Life at the Oxford Community Center, 200 Oxford Road, Oxford, MD. In lieu of flowers, please consider celebrating Kathy’s love of libraries and honoring her special connection and support of the mystery genre and authors by donating to the Talbot County Free Library in her memory, giving special recognition to Kathy by the library system she supported so heartily. Please make your gift payable to the: Talbot County Free Library Foundation (and note, “In Memory of Kathy Harig”) 100 W. Dover St., Easton, MD 21601. Donations in her honor may also be made online at http://www.tcfl.org/about/donate.html.

Katherine Jean Harig

December 31, 1946 - April 11, 2025