Mary Evelyn Harris

Mary Evelyn Harris was born March 14, 1931, to Odell and Mary Ruth Rector in Vernon Texas. She passed peacefully at Baylor Scott and White Hospice in Temple Texas on February 1st, 2023.

Mary spent her life as a servant to others deeply loving her family and friends. She was a devoted Christian and was active in the Pampa Mary Ellen Church of Christ, Hereford Sunset Church of Christ and then the Belton Church of Christ. She was an incredibly kind and sweet women with her friends calling her “Sweet Mary” at the end of her life. Sweetness and kindness pour out of her soul her entire life and she only wanted for others to be happy.

Mary was raised in Vernon Texas along with 7 siblings. While in High School she worked at a jewelry store, and Vernon Drug and Variety Store. After graduating from high school, she married Bill Harris on January 15th, 1949. Mary and Bill lived in Locket Texas, Chickasha Ok, and Childress Texas where they had their first child, Leslie. They moved to Pampa Texas where they had twins, Debra and Larry. They lived in Pampa for almost 20 years raising their family and working. Mary had a variety of jobs including working at Marie Foundations, Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, White House Lumber Company, and First National Bank. Later in life she earned her real estate license and worked at Dan Tardy Real Estate in Hereford Texas where she and Bill lived for 10 years. After retirement Mary and Bill moved to Belton Texas to be close to their daughter Debra. They loved attending the Bell County Sportsman Club and traveling with the Blue Jay RV Club. Mary and Bill spent their retirement years traveling and enjoying their friends and family.

Mary is preceded in death by her parents and siblings, Lee, Robert, Louis, Maggie, Roy and Eddie. She is also preceded in death by her husband Bill Harris.

She is survived by her brother Jim Rector of Orange County CA, along with her children Leslie Allen Harris and his wife Fran of Bedford Tx, Larry Lee Harris and his wife Shawn of Austin Tx, and Debra Lynn Harris Payne and her husband Mike of Morgans Point Resort, Tx. She is survived by four grandchildren, Kayla Potts, Lawson Harris, Beth Uszynski, and Kathrine Griffith. She is also survived by four great grandchildren, Emily Potts, Drew Potts, Lillian Potts, and John Wyatt Uszynski.

Visitation is Sunday, February 12th at Dossman Funeral Home in Belton Tx. at 4:30 – 6:30 pm.

Funeral is Monday, February 13th at Dossman Funeral Home in Belton, Tx. at 10:00 am.

Burial is at 1:00 pm, at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery 11463 TX-195, Killeen, TX.

In lieu of flowers the family request that donations be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation at: www.parkinsons.org