Lillian Harris

Lillian Norman Harris

Decatur, GA  –            Lillian Norman Harris, 107, of Decatur, Georgia, died peacefully on Sunday afternoon, January 7, 2018.  The family will receive friends at James Funeral Home from 10:00 – 11:00 A.M. Wednesday morning, January 10, 2018.  A graveside service with Rev. Chad Watkins officiating will follow at Wrens Memorial Cemetery.

Lillian was born on March 14, 1910, in Lincolnton, one of six children born to the late William Ellington and Frances Anne Glaze Norman.  She grew up in Lincolnton, graduating from Lincolnton High School.  She received her teaching credentials from State Teacher’s College in Athens in 1929, and began her 35-year teaching career in Wrens, where she met and married George Thomas “Pete” Harris.  She later taught at Matthews School and Hephzibah Elementary.  In 1962, she received her Bachelors of Education from Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville.

She loved her family, friends, and community. Lillian was a member of Wrens United Methodist Church, the John Franklin Wren chapter of the DAR, a charter member of the Wrens Town and Country Garden Club, and a lifelong fan of the University of Georgia Bulldogs.  She was an excellent cook, frequently sending meals to the elderly shut-ins in the town.

Pete passed away in 1996, and four years later at age 90, she moved to Medlock Gardens Assisted Living Facility in Decatur where she was an inspiration to the other residents, welcoming newcomers and making many friends over the 17 years of her residency.  She enjoyed living in the city and going out to different restaurants on the weekends, being able to spend time with her only grandson, and celebrating holidays and birthdays with her nieces.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, G. T. “Pete” Harris.  She is survived by her daughter, Jane Harris Rox (husband Frank) and her grandson, Patrick Fitzgerald “Pete” Rox, all of Decatur; plus a number of nieces and nephews.

It is with gratitude that we remember the kindness shown by the staff of Medlock Gardens Assisted Living during her 17 years there.

Memorial contributions may be given to the Wrens Methodist Church, 202 Russell Street, Wrens GA 30833 or to the John Franklin Wren Chapter NSDAR, c/o Beth Usry, 107 Quaker Road, Wrens GA 30833.

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Crossing the Bar

BY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.