Betty Jane Harris' Obituary
Betty Jane Harris, 84, was born on December 26, 1937 to Roland Marion and Clara Brown Webster in Knoxville, Tennessee. She graduated from Carter High School in Knoxville where she was a cheerleader and homecoming queen. She attended The University of Tennessee Knoxville and was an active member of Kappa Delta sorority. She began dating John H. Harris, Jr. while she was an undergraduate student and he was a law student at The University of Tennessee College of Law. After graduating from UT with a home economics major and John's graduation from law school, John and Betty Jane married on December 22, 1960 in Gatlinburg.
Betty Jane and John lived in Gatlinburg after their wedding for six months. She taught high school while he studied for the bar exam. They moved to Memphis in the summer of 1961 for John to begin his legal career. After their move to Memphis, she became involved in the community and enjoyed staying home with Jeffery and Julie. When her children were in elementary school, she began teaching third grade at St Mary's Episcopal School. She loved St Mary's deeply during her 13 years of teaching. She also enjoyed volunteering in the community. She served as the president of the Memphis Bar Auxiliary and was an active member for many years. Betty Jane taught Sunday School for the Special Education class at St. Luke's Methodist Church and served as a Group Leader at Community Bible Study for twelve years. She was a member of the Chickasaw Gardens Garden Club and was a volunteer at the polls for elections for numerous years.
Betty Jane loved animals and working with children. She accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior when she was four, and her faith was very important to her. She was loving, fun, kind and people loved being around her. Betty Jane loved to dance, played the piano by ear and loved music. She usually had oldies music playing in their home. Betty Jane enjoyed spending time at the family residence in Destin, Florida with John. She loved Destin for its beautiful beaches, the ocean and dolphins.
Betty Jane is preceded in death by her husband John H. Harris, Jr., her parents Roland Marion Wester, MD and Clara Brown Webster, and her brother Roland Brown Webster, DDS. She is survived by her son Jeffery Harris and her daughter Julie Knox, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She loved spending time with her grandchildren Sarah and Andrew Harris, Megan Brick and Ellie Walker as well as her great- grand-daughters Harley Jane Brick, and Milla Walker. She has another great- granddaughter who will arrive any day.
Betty Jane moved to the Manor at Trezevant in 2014 and loved her friends and enjoyed all of the activities. Betty Jane was always generous with her time and resources, and she made every person she encountered feel special. She loved helping others and often gave anonymous gifts to people. She was passionate about the mission of the Trezevant Foundation and loved all of the employees at Trezevant. One of her favorite quotes, which she told people often, was "I did it my way".
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Trezevant Foundation.
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