Obituary of Annie B. Harris

Annie Belle Grace Brame Harris was born on January 16, 1926 to Goodrich Brame, Sr. and Bettie (nee Thomas) Brame in Townsville, NC. She departed this life on December 26, 2020 at her home. Annie was the youngest of six and was predeceased by all her siblings: Millie, Marion, Goodrich, Betty and Branda. At the age of one, her family moved to Henderson, NC and she grew up on the campus of the Henderson Institute, a boarding school sponsored by the Presbyterian Church. Annie’s father served as custodian at the Institute and the family became members of Cotton Memorial Presbyterian Church. Annie attended grades 1-7 at Central Graded Elementary School. In 1943, she graduated from Henderson Institute and was selected as one of the three student speakers. In her senior year she was voted “Miss Henderson Institute”, and starred as “Nancy Lammeter” in the high school stage production of George’s Eliot’s Silas Marner. Annie was sickly as a child and was plagued by illness more than once while attending college. She persevered to earn a BA degree from North Carolina Central University in 1951 and an MS in Library Science at Villanova University in 1962. While working in the field of library science, she was one of 40 applicants selected from among 1000 to receive a scholarship to study library instructional materials at an NAEA Institute at the State University of NY, Albany. Annie’s work as an educator began as a teacher of English and social studies at Sulzberger Junior HS in Philadelphia. She transitioned to positions as a librarian at Strawberry Mansion Junior High in Philadelphia, Haddon Township HS in Westmont, NJ and Camden County College, Blackwood, NJ, She retired from Camden County College in 1986 as Director of the Library. It was at Sulzberger Junior HS that Annie Belle met and married the love of her life, John T Harris, Jr. They enjoyed life together vibrantly for nearly 40 years, until his death in 2001. Annie embraced people easily, both literally and figuratively. She was known to hug the trash collectors, who in turn brought her receptacles in from the curb to the door of her garage. She had a distinctively sweet voice, that was matched by her physical beautiful and delightful personality. She interacted with everyone she met as if they were lifelong friends. Although she had no children of her own, she became the grandmother of all the children on Windmill Drive, distributing gifts for Halloween, Christmas, birthday parties, and for no reason at all except to express her care and concern. She tipped restaurant and repair service workers generously, explaining her actions by exclaiming that she herself once worked in service positions. She gave donations to several charities. Her kindness prompted mail carriers to get out of their trucks and bring her mail to her door; compelled the newspaper delivery people to write her notes and leave simple gifts; and propelled the neighborhood elves into shoveling her walkway during every snowstorm. On holidays and her birthday, her home was filled with floral arrangements, cards, and gift baskets, a testament to the generosity and warmth that she exuded. Annie enjoyed golfing with her husband, “Jay” and even won several trophies that were displayed among the myriad that he received. She enjoyed traveling, listening to music, and of course reading. She loved the color pink; she would only wear pink pajamas, sleep on pink sheets, and use pink soap. She was known for her monochromatic dressing, with suit, top and footwear in the same color family. In her later years, Annie cherished her solitude, independence, and the comfort of her home. She resisted any attempts to be provided with live-in healthcare assistance and insisted (in her sweet Annie way) on doing things her way. The family room red chair, (which she referred to as her “nest”) became her “go to” place, where she entertained herself by solving the daily newspaper crossword puzzles, snacking, and watching TV, especially sports and animal shows. The world is a better place because Annie Harris lived in it. She promoted excellence and applauded the achievements of others. She brightened every corner that she happened to be in and indeed left “footprints on the sands of time” – footprints of friendliness, kindness, compassion, courage, inspiration, and hope. Those who will cherish her memory include an “adopted” daughter: Sharon Wedington (Dennis); two granddaughters through marriage: Ashley Wiggins (Sean) and Annjnai Harris; two great grandchildren by marriage: Mya Camacho-Hill & Elijah Wiggins; a niece: Shawn Brown (Gary); a nephew: Goodrich Brame III; a special cousin: Elaine Brame Martin (Bob); other relatives and friends. Lovingly Submitted by The Family