Harriet Ann Cummings transitioned to join the Lord Our Father on December 24th, 2021. As is said in the Scripture, life is both a shadow and a dream, and brings the small importance of life on earth to light. May her memory be eternal in the Lord! She was 86 1/2 years old .

Now a little bit about the woman who loved life. Harriet was born in the foothills of Follansbee, West Virginia in July 1935 where, occasionally, she would say that she was from "The Hills". As a young girl, she lived a rather interesting upbringing with her British mum , Kate, from Kent, England and her 6 siblings Wilma, Alice, Doris, Pauline, Elsie and Jimmy.  From an early age, Harriet had an adventurous spirit and, in her mid-teens, threw all caution to the wind and hitch-hiked across America visiting various small towns and municipalities until, eventually, she found her way to Carolina Beach in North Carolina in 1955. This is where Harriet met her first husband, George Alexiou, a Greek immigrant by way of Ellis Island. The two eventually married and had two children, Tom and Kate.  George passed away in 1976 due to cancer leaving Harriet and her kids to relocate temporarily to Arnold, MD near George's extended family Paul and Penny Alexiou.

In the summer of 1978, Harriet and her children relocated to Melbourne, FL where Tom and Kate were attending college. This was a very courageous move for Harriet but, being an independent woman, it turned out to become the best possible move for her at this stage of her life. Harriet really blossomed in Florida. She had the initiative to start her own sign making business, loved buying & selling antiques, and made many friends. She was extremely proud of herself as she entered the real estate market and purchased her first home a few years after arriving in Florida.

A couple of years later, in 1980, Harriet caught the attention of Mr. Rex G. Cummings Jr. a military communications expert serving in the United States Air Force at Patrick Air Force Base. Rex immediately fell head over heels in love with Harriet and, after a few years of courtship, eventually married on December 31, 1985. Life with Rex was fantastic for Harriet and Tom and Kate were overjoyed for both of them . Some of the many adventures they shared were months long sailing trips, shore fishing, volunteering, international travel cruises and visiting their kids and grandkids in both San Clemente, CA & Windermere, FL.  As the years sailed by, they both got a little older, but still managed to get out and experience some local mini adventures such as Wickham Park, the beach, McDonalds, Walmart, the Patrick Air Force Base- Exchange  and walking their sweet long-haired dachshund, Rusty, to name just a few.

During Harriet's twilight years, she would always take the time to help and talk with children. Part of her greatest joy was to make small children laugh and brighten their day. Harriet was an avid antique collector and " junker " as well. She made many a great deal selling her new finds on eBay & was always appraised for her sharp understanding of the antique market.

I guess this brings us to the end and, to sum it up, "A life well lived should be celebrated." So, "Here's to you Harriet and Mom (Mum), You Did an Amazing Job, Lived a Wonderful Life and We Will All Love You Forever!"

Your Loving Family

Rex Cummings (Husband), Tom Alexiou (Son), Kate Alexiou (Daughter), Colleen Alexiou (Daughter-in-Law), Phil Ruggieri (Son-in-Law), Nicholas Alexiou, Matthew Alexiou, Christine Alexiou, Daniel Ruggieri and Katya Ruggieri (Her 5 loving and beautiful grandchildren).

Please make a donation in lieu of flowers for the following:

St. Jude Children's Hospital, here is the link I setup for the fund raising.

https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/GiftFunds/GiftFunds?px=7342828&pg=personal&fr_id=39300