Harriett "Bunny" Daniels

Fletcher- Harriett Henderson Daniels, 87, affectionately known as “Bunny”, died unexpectedly Monday, March 31, 2025.

Born Harriett Henderson in LaGrange, Georgia on January 26, 1938, to William Franklin Henderson and Margaret Elizabeth (Johnson) Henderson, she was nicknamed “Bunny” after a gift of furry bunny slippers and the name stuck through adulthood.

Raised in Winnsboro, SC, she attended Mt. Zion High School where she met Robert Gordon Daniels whom we all know as Bob. Their friendship blossomed as Seniors attending the Class Trip to Asheville, NC on April 8, 1956. From then on, they were inseparable–including both attending college in Columbia, SC where Bob graduated from the University of South Carolina and Bunny graduated from Columbia College.

Married September 4, 1959, they were drawn to Asheville for their honeymoon, just as Bob’s parents had been. Their marriage and work took them to several residences including Columbia, SC; Charlotte, NC; Williamsburg, VA; Anderson, SC and then to Asheville where they have lived for over 35 years. During these years, they were blessed with four children, Katherine, Stephen, Franklin and Matthew and later seven grandchildren and most recently, one great-grandchild.

Bunny was a cradle to grave Methodist, attending church regularly in Winnsboro, where she grew up and later in other residences. She also served the church through her work as Secretary for the Anderson District of the SC Conference of the United Methodist Church and later as Administrative Assistance at Givens Estates, a residential facility of the Methodist Church. An added benefit to Bunny was the daily visits to her mom, Becky, who was a resident there until Becky’s death. In Asheville, Bunny and Bob were active here at the Central United Methodist Church.

While Bunny loved Asheville, she also enjoyed traveling, especially with family to ocean, lakes or water of any kind—notably the creek in their backyard where they entertained family and friends. She enjoyed exploring the West, touring the Eastern Shore of Maryland, thought Las Vegas quirky; and loved Vermont. She visited France several times with family where the pastry, scenery, antiques and sights delighted her and reminisced about high school French lessons where the pronunciation was graced with her Southern accent.

Those who would have liked to attend the celebration of life are the pets she had over the years including the hounds and mutts, the goats who acted as lawn mowers, the rabbits including the current one, Snickers; and her beloved Corgis, the latest named Tasha Tudor.

Others who are unable to attend the service include the hundreds of hospital patients and children of Black Mountain Home who never knew her as the person who selflessly gifted her talent of pillowcase making. These were not ordinary pillowcases, but ones for which she devoted time and effort to combine borders, trim and fabric to delight children of all ages, including her own and their children.

A gifted gardener, she knew every type of fern and loved the greening of spring in Asheville, the dogwoods, their garden of beans and greens, and feeding corn to the deer as a questionable deterrent to feasting on their crops.

Her biscuits were legendary—a culinary welcome to anyone coming to visit as a treat there and to have for the trip home. Don’t ask for the recipe because it was all in her hands and defied the lessons taught at the baking class she took (and later rejected) at the King Arthur flour center in Vermont.

Bunny loved to laugh and enjoyed movies and books that had a happy ending and college football and basketball games in which her teams won. She was always welcoming and leaves us with the challenge to live as she did, in love and in service to others.

Bunny is survived by her loving husband of nearly 66 years, Robert Gordon “Bob” Daniels; one daughter, Katherine Nondorf (Mark) of Indianapolis, IN; three sons, Stephen Daniels (Courtney) of Chapin, SC, Franklin Daniels (LeAnne) of Pawleys Island, SC and Matthew Daniels (Katherine) of Charlotte, NC; one sister, Anne Browning of Chandler, AZ; seven grandchildren, Marybeth, Will, William, Caroline, Sarah, Nelson and Steele; one great-granddaughter, Maggie as well as several nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 3:00 PM on Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Central United Methodist Church in Asheville. This date of remembrance and celebration of her life was chosen because Bunny had organized the annual gathering of children and grandchildren at Cataloochee Ranch on Memorial Day Weekend for over 17 years which created wonderful memories for everyone. For those unable to attend, the service will be live streamed through the church website (centralumc.org).

In lieu of flowers and in Bunny’s memory, her family asks that you consider making a contribution to either Black Mountain Home for Children (blackmountainhome.org) or to Central United Methodist Church.

Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian is assisting the family.