Evelyn H. Harris, 77, surrounded by her family, entered into the presence of her Lord on Oct. 24, 2011. Born Dec. 7, 1933, in Beaufort County, she was the daughter of the late William Joseph Hollowell Sr. and the late Estelle Edwards Hollowell. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a brother, William Joseph Hollowell Jr.

Evelyn is survived by her husband of 57 years, Henry C. “Buddy” Harris; daughters, Dianne Browning and husband Jerry of Cedar Point, Karen Daniels and husband George of Washington, Pam Oliver and husband Mark of Zebulon; a son, Michael and wife Gena of Summerville, S.C.; 11 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; a sister, Mae Gray of Greenville; brothers, Eldon Hollowell of Winterville and Stanley Hollowell of New Bern.

Long-time residents of Wake Forest, Evelyn and her husband owned and operated Bennie’s Grill for many years.  She loved her customers, and especially enjoyed the teenagers who went in after ballgames and church services. After the grill closed in 1979, she went on to work at Wake Forest Florist and HL&S Furniture, enjoying the relationships with people in the community. Evelyn treasured her family and loved each one of us as if we were the most important person on earth.  Our family has many Duke basketball fans because of her love for the team. She loved the Christmas season; she made exquisite ornaments and tied beautiful Christmas bows, which she loved to share with family and friends. Visits to the beach by her family will flood us with memories of vacations at the Oceana Resort.  She leaves us these wonderful memories, but her legacy goes much deeper. She taught us through example to trust God and not worry about situations out of our control, and to love unconditionally and forgive always without the slightest hint of a grudge. She taught us to respect all people equally and do anything we can for others. Evelyn was loved and admired by all who knew her and was an inspiration to family, friends, and neighbors. Even when the COPD was very advanced, she didn’t complain; instead, she gave glory to God and expressed her thankfulness to Him for all He has done for her.

Flowers are welcome, or donations may be made to Grace Fellowship, 4040 Wendell Blvd., Wendell, NC 27591, or to Hospice of Wake County, 2500 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607, without which this journey would have been infinitely more difficult.

A celebration of her life will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011 in the Chapel of Bright Funeral Home, Wake Forest. The family will receive visitors one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow at Pine Forest Memorial Gardens.