Alice Elaine Mathews Harder

Alice Elaine Mathews Harder, 94, of Shelley, Idaho, passed away peacefully at her home on May 30, 2026, surrounded by the family who loved her dearly.

Alice was born on March 6, 1932, in Shelley, Idaho, to Heber Grant Mathews and Ruth Luella McBride Mathews. She was the youngest of eight children and graduated from Shelley High School in 1950. During her high school years, she played clarinet in the Shelley Pep Band.

While in the fifth grade, Alice met the boy who would become her husband when Theodore “Ted” Harder moved to Shelley and promptly dipped her braids into an inkwell. That playful childhood encounter marked the beginning of a lifelong love story. Following graduation, Alice married Ted on April 26, 1951, and together they built a life centered on faith, family, and farming.

Ted and Alice raised three children, Vicki, Doug, and Karen, while operating their family farm, where they grew potatoes and wheat and raised sheep and dairy cows. Alice embraced farm life wholeheartedly and exemplified the dedication, strength, and resilience of a true farmer’s wife. She took great pride in raising her family and supporting the farm alongside Ted.

During Ted’s service in the United States Navy in San Diego, California, Alice worked as a bookkeeper for an auto repair shop. She later earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education degree from Idaho State University in 1968 and spent time as a substitute teacher in the Shelley School District. Always entrepreneurial, Alice became a successful businesswoman through her investment in and management of several Diet Centers on the East Coast.

Alice lived life with enthusiasm and adventure. She loved snow skiing and spent many years organizing the Idaho Falls Targhee Ladies’ Day ski bus. She also taught skiing at Kelly Canyon Ski Resort, sharing her passion for the sport with others.

She was an active member of the United Methodist Church in Shelley and generously volunteered wherever she was needed. Her faith guided her life and was reflected in her willingness to serve others.

Family was always at the center of Alice’s life. She especially enjoyed annual trips to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with her family. She and Ted came to think of Cabo as a second home and spent many winters there together. In later years, she delighted in traveling throughout Europe with her daughter, Vicki, and treasured every opportunity to spend time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Alice never met a stranger and had a remarkable gift for making people feel welcome, valued, and loved. Her warmth, kindness, and genuine interest in others drew people to her wherever she went. She will be remembered for her generous heart, adventurous spirit, unwavering devotion to her family, and the love she shared so freely. She was truly the heart of her family, and her presence will be deeply missed.

Alice is survived by two of her children: Vicki Harder and Doug Harder; her grandchildren: Coleman Harder (Carey), Courtney (David) Hotler, Zachary Harder, Sarah (Michael) Okonkwo, and Madison (Bill) Miller; and her great-grandchildren: Eli and Rome Okonkwo and Luke Harder.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Heber Grant and Luella Mathews; her seven siblings: Ivan, Lewis, Warren, Dale, Boyd, Louise Stone, and Marjorie Farrer; her beloved daughter, Karen Iverson; son-in-law, Bruce Iverson; and her devoted husband of many years, Theodore “Ted” Harder.

A private family service will be held at a later date. Burial will take place at Shelley Cemetery. Condolences may be sent online to the family at www.coltrinmortuary.com.

“Vaya con Dios, Mom.”

“Go with God”