THE MAGNIFICENT MILLICENT HARRIS
1912-2016
On April 24, our much loved Mother, Millicent Dawe Harris, ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth [to] dance the skies on laughter-silvered wings’. She lived a phenomenal 103 years and danced on both her 101 and 102 birthdays.
Born in 1912 in Summerville, Mother was the eldest of the 10 children of George and Sarah (Butt) Dawe and outlived all her siblings. Pre-deceased too by Dad, Leslie Harris, and her infant son Donald, her memory will be treasured by her three daughters; Elayne, Sandra (Colin Dorren), and Eleanor (Bob Sutherby), grandchildren Nola (Brian Rideout), Tisha, Nicholas, Joshua, great-grandson Owen, her devoted sister-in-law, Marie Harris (Hector), multiple nieces, nephews, cousins, legions of former pupils, community members, and friends far and wide.
At 17, she realized her child-hood dream of teaching, stopped when she married Dad in 1945 (as was expected in that day), and eagerly returned to classrooms when her youngest child was 5. She taught intermittently in 10 different communities over 30 years; from all-grade one-room schools to “special need” children in a larger school. Teaching was a career and a calling; a profession she adored.
In every community and region where she lived, Mother was active in both church and community life; church choir, organist, Sunday School, church suppers, Explorers, C.G.I.T, U.C.W, U.C. Presbytery, (sold the U.C. Observer for 5 decades), Red Cross, Young Voyagers, Girl Guides, NL Retired Teachers Association and numerous other organizations and causes; notably as a nonagenarian, H.A.V.E. Walk for Water (wells for India). She was a super-mom too; nourishing us with three home cooked meals daily, as well as oven-fresh desserts; sewed us costumes for Sports Days, and taught us her favorite songs. She also assigned non-negotiable chores. Berry picking (all kinds), was high among them, and baffling to us, nothing but a delight for her.
Another of her passions was music, and she gave piano and organ lessons to hundreds of children and adults.
Mother was curious about the world. She loved to travel, the Boston States in her 20s, all regions of the island, most Canadian provinces, and later Hawaii, Britain and Europe. Hearing a full orchestra play Mozart and Beethoven in an outdoor park in Austria transported her.
Cremation has taken place. A church service in her honor was held on Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 2 pm, at Faith United Church in Glovertown. In lieu of flowers, contributions were suggested to the Millicent and Leslie Harris Scholarship Fund c/o Bank of Nova Scotia, P O Box 130, Glovertown, NL, A0G 2L0, 1-800-472-6842.
Mother did not like black clothes, for herself or anyone else, and directed us NOT to wear black at her funeral. We love her and we obeyed.
Daughters: Eleanor, Sandra and Elayne
To view the online memorial guest book or leave a message of condolence, please visit www.barretts.ca.