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Rachel Mae <I>Oliver</I> Harris

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Rachel Mae Oliver Harris

Birth
Enterprise, Clarke County, Mississippi, USA
Death
10 Sep 2018 (aged 93)
Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, USA
Burial
Sierra Vista, Cochise County, Arizona, USA Add to Map
Plot
Section 4, Site 626
Memorial ID
View Source
courtesy of Adair Funeral Home - Avalon Chapel:

Rachel Oliver Harris transitioned into eternity on September 10, 2018, after a brief illness
in Tucson, Arizona.

She was born on June 24, 1925, to Sam and Justina Oliver in Enterprise, Mississippi. Her parents, brothers, and sisters preceded her in death. She graduated from TJ Harris High School, Meridian MS.

Shortly after graduation Rachel moved to Freeport, Illinois, to establish her first retail employment opportunity with her sister and brother-in-law at their restaurant. While en route to visit her elder brothers in San Francisco, during the summer of 1952, Rachel stopped in Tucson to help her nephew, Rubin Salter, Jr., get settled in at the University of Arizona, and she remained a loyal resident ever since.

She married Senior Master Sergeant Edward Harris, the love of her life, and they shared 56 years together until he passed in 2003. Rachel and Edward were fortunate to live abroad during his tours in the Air Force; she especially enjoyed living in France. She was truly a devoted military spouse.

Rachel Harris relished working in the retail industry and was an employee of Skaggs Drug Stores during the 1960s and early 1970s. In 1972, the Harrises became the owners of a successful convenience market in Tucson.

Rachel was a very resourceful and creative woman. She enjoyed baking, sewing, crocheting, and gardening. Her interest in historical research culminated in many trips to the world’s largest genealogical library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., where she and her sister Josephine uncovered the historical records of her matriarchal ancestry dating back to the early 1800s.

Rachel accepted Christ at an early age. She was a woman of faith and was an active member of Philip's Chapel CME Church in Tucson for more than 65 years.

She was a long-time resident of Mountain View Retirement Village, where she maintained a very active life style, enjoying outings to various events or simple evenings socializing with friends in the dining hall. Rachel loved traveling, including her last trip this summer to Hot Springs, Arkansas, to attend the annual family reunion where she earned the title of the oldest living member of the family and spent time connecting with her family.

Though she has moved on to be with family and is no longer with us, her legacy will be felt with her surviving family, friends, and community she leaves behind. Rachel Oliver Harris is survived by several generations of nieces and nephews, extended family, and friends who cherish her memory.

Visitation is at the Adair Funeral Home - Avalon Chapel, 8090 N. Northern Avenue, Oro Valley, AZ 85704, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm on Friday, September 21, 2018. The funeral services will be held at 11:00 am. on Saturday, September 22nd, at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 1431 W. Magee Road, Tucson, AZ 85704. A repast will
follow. The interment is noon on Monday, September 24, 2018, at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery - Sierra Vista, AZ.
courtesy of Adair Funeral Home - Avalon Chapel:

Rachel Oliver Harris transitioned into eternity on September 10, 2018, after a brief illness
in Tucson, Arizona.

She was born on June 24, 1925, to Sam and Justina Oliver in Enterprise, Mississippi. Her parents, brothers, and sisters preceded her in death. She graduated from TJ Harris High School, Meridian MS.

Shortly after graduation Rachel moved to Freeport, Illinois, to establish her first retail employment opportunity with her sister and brother-in-law at their restaurant. While en route to visit her elder brothers in San Francisco, during the summer of 1952, Rachel stopped in Tucson to help her nephew, Rubin Salter, Jr., get settled in at the University of Arizona, and she remained a loyal resident ever since.

She married Senior Master Sergeant Edward Harris, the love of her life, and they shared 56 years together until he passed in 2003. Rachel and Edward were fortunate to live abroad during his tours in the Air Force; she especially enjoyed living in France. She was truly a devoted military spouse.

Rachel Harris relished working in the retail industry and was an employee of Skaggs Drug Stores during the 1960s and early 1970s. In 1972, the Harrises became the owners of a successful convenience market in Tucson.

Rachel was a very resourceful and creative woman. She enjoyed baking, sewing, crocheting, and gardening. Her interest in historical research culminated in many trips to the world’s largest genealogical library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., where she and her sister Josephine uncovered the historical records of her matriarchal ancestry dating back to the early 1800s.

Rachel accepted Christ at an early age. She was a woman of faith and was an active member of Philip's Chapel CME Church in Tucson for more than 65 years.

She was a long-time resident of Mountain View Retirement Village, where she maintained a very active life style, enjoying outings to various events or simple evenings socializing with friends in the dining hall. Rachel loved traveling, including her last trip this summer to Hot Springs, Arkansas, to attend the annual family reunion where she earned the title of the oldest living member of the family and spent time connecting with her family.

Though she has moved on to be with family and is no longer with us, her legacy will be felt with her surviving family, friends, and community she leaves behind. Rachel Oliver Harris is survived by several generations of nieces and nephews, extended family, and friends who cherish her memory.

Visitation is at the Adair Funeral Home - Avalon Chapel, 8090 N. Northern Avenue, Oro Valley, AZ 85704, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm on Friday, September 21, 2018. The funeral services will be held at 11:00 am. on Saturday, September 22nd, at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 1431 W. Magee Road, Tucson, AZ 85704. A repast will
follow. The interment is noon on Monday, September 24, 2018, at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery - Sierra Vista, AZ.

Inscription

LOVED & ADMIRED.

WE LOVE YOU.



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  • Created by: Bill Bates
  • Added: Sep 18, 2018
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/193210891/rachel_mae-harris: accessed ), memorial page for Rachel Mae Oliver Harris (19 Jun 1925–10 Sep 2018), Find a Grave Memorial ID 193210891, citing Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Sierra Vista, Cochise County, Arizona, USA; Maintained by Bill Bates (contributor 47623045).