By Staff
Mrs. Dera Mae Sullivan Harris, age 86, formerly of the Acre Station community, Highway 32, Plymouth, NC, died early Sunday morning, June 24, 2007, with family members watching over her at the home of her daughter, Viola H. West in Amherst, Virginia.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, June 27, 2007 in the chapel of Paul Funeral Home, Washington, officiated by Pastors Mike Caton and Dennis Davis. Burial will follow in Pamlico Memorial Gardens.
Grandsons Jimmy Stewart, Jeffery Stewart, Macon Harris, Mark Harris; great grandson Zachary Casey; and John Ed Johnston and Kenneth Casey will serve as pallbearers. Grandsons Michael Latham and Daniel Latham will serve as honorary pallbearers.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, June 26, 2007, at Paul Funeral Home. Food offerings may be delivered to the Beaver Dam Church of Christ Fellowship Hall, 5125 US 264 Highway East, Washington, NC, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27, 2007. Lunch for family and friends will be served there after the burial.
Dera Mae was born at home in Beaufort County on May 21, 1921, daughter of the late William Henry Sullivan and Viola Mae Boyd Sullivan. She was a 1940 graduate of Bath High School. On October 31, 1941, she married Dalton Paul Harris, Sr., who predeceased her on August 6, 1989. She was a member of Rosemary Church of Christ.
She was a hard working and loving mother. She lived a simple life. She enjoyed sewing, reading, riding her bicycle, and growing a huge vegetable garden each year. These hobbies were taken away from her when she lost her eyesight to macular degeneration several years ago, but she still loved life and “kept on doing from knowing how to do.” She always said “you have to make do with what you have to do with.” She was a cancer survivor of seventeen years. She had been in declining health for the past two years and seriously ill for the last month.
She is survived by four children: Norma H. Latham; Viola H. West and her husband, Rudy, all of Amherst, VA; William H. Harris of the homeplace, Highway 32, Plymouth, NC; and Deborah H. Waters and her husband, Michael, of the Free Union community, Pinetown, NC; ten grandchildren: Robin Latham of Charlottesville, VA; Michael Latham of St. Leonard, Maryland; Daniel Latham of Osborne, Kansas; Jimmy Stewart and his wife, Delores (Dee) of Fayetteville, NC; Jeffery Stewart, and Jaynene Stewart Casey, of Amherst, VA; Jessica West Casey and her husband, Kenneth of Gladstone, VA; Macon Harris and Mark Harris of Dudley, NC; and Katie Waters, Free Union community, Pinetown, NC; twelve great grandchildren: Jonathan and Katherine Latham of St. Leonard, Maryland; Mark Wagner and Dana Wagner of Fayetteville, NC; Zachary, Whitney and Shelby Casey of Amherst, VA; Joshua, Trafton, Andrew and Alexzandria Casey of Gladstone, VA; and Brandon Lee Harris of Chocowinity, NC; six great great grandchildren: Jasmine, Mark, Amber and Ronald Wagner; and Alecia and Luis Fermin, all of Fayetteville, NC. She is also survived by one sister, Grace Boyd Sullivan Kendall and her husband, Bill of Washington, NC.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by one son, Dalton Paul Harris, Jr. on February 3, 1970. She was also predeceased by one sister, Ruth Hollis Sullivan; four brothers including a stillborn, Leo (Lee) Fisher Sullivan, William Bryan Sullivan, and her twin brother, Delma Thomas Sullivan.
Flowers will be appreciated. Memorial contributions may be directed to either The Blind Center, 219 N. Harvey Street, Washington, NC 27889 or Hospice of the Hills, 3300 Rivermont Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24503.
You may share a memory with the family and view Mrs. Harris’s video tribute by visiting www.paulfuneralhome.com.
Paul Funeral Home of Washington is serving the Harris family.
Paid Obituary