Earnestine Harlan, age 87, a resident of Columbia, TN, went to her eternal home on March 22, 2026.
A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at 12:00 PM at Heritage Funeral Home with visitation from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM. She will be laid to rest with a private graveside service at Pinecrest Memorial Gardens.
Born on May 30, 1938, in Maury County, Earnestine was the daughter of the late James Lee Harlan, Sr. and the late Cuba E. Frierson Harlan. A 1957 graduate of Clarke Training High School in Mt. Pleasant, she went on to attend Tennessee State University in Nashville. Earnestine was a devoted member of West End Catholic Church in Nashville, where she cherished her church family and formed many lasting friendships.
She spent her career serving others as a bookkeeper for Meharry Medical College and later for the Davidson County Board of Education in Nashville.
Earnestine lived a full and joyful life. She loved traveling the world, collecting and appreciating black art, attending book signings, creating family scrapbooks, and sharing meals with loved ones. She had a special passion for working with children and volunteering with the Ladies of Charity.
To know Earnestine was to love her. She will be remembered for her warm smile, gentle spirit, distinctive giggle, and unwavering kindness. Soft-spoken and caring, she treated everyone with respect and was always willing to lend a helping hand.
She is survived by her sisters, Jimmie Lou (Earl) Grays of Cleveland, OH, Curley Virginia Harlan Bumpus of Lawrenceburg, TN, brother, James Lee (Alice) Harlan, Jr. of Franklin, TN, sister in law, Mildred Parnell Bumpas-Harlan of Huntsville, AL, nieces, Cynthia Denise Bumpus (Percy) Thomas of Panama City, FL, Angela Yvonne Harlan (Dalton) Swinney of Huntsville, AL, nephews, Curtis Darnell (Angela) Harlan of Pulaski, TN, Kevin Grays of Cleveland, OH, Kortney Jamez (Aydil) Harlan of Orlando, FL, and several great nieces and great nephews.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Bessie Lee Stevenson Buchanan, Thomas A. Buchanan, and Ernest Frierson.
Funeral Services Provided By Heritage Funeral Home & Cremation Services, LLC – Columbia
609 Bear Creek Pike, Columbia, TN 38401
For more obituaries visit our obituaries page.
This obituary was published by Heritage Funeral Home & Cremation Services, LLC.
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