Barbara Ann Harris

A celebration of life service for Barbara Edwards Harris will beheld at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 6, 2013, at First Baptist Church of Longview, with Pastor David English officiating. Arrangements are under the direction or Rader Funeral Home. Barbara passed away Saturday, June 1, 2013. Barbara was born August 16, 1938 in Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Chester and Irene Edwards. She graduated from Mansfield High School in Mansfield, Louisiana. She was a proud graduate of Baylor University, and earned a Master of Nursing from Emory University. On December 19, 1970 Barbara married John Turner Harris in Nashville, Tennessee. They moved to Longview in 1978. Barbara worked as a traveling nurse in Arkansas, supervising physical rehabilitation on behalf of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. Later, as a nursing professor at Baylor University, Vanderbilt University, and locally at Kilgore College for fifteen years, she challenged and inspired her students to have outstanding technical knowledge and even greater compassion. Barbara was a constant servant to her family and friends and never without a smile. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Longview, where she served as a Sunday school teacher for its most-senior members, whom she said ministered to her, and vacation Bible school leader. She was an active volunteer for Meals on Wheels. Barbara loved to play golf and cherished her time with friends on the course. Barbara is survived by her loving husband of 42 years, John T. Harris; son Ty Harris and wife, Robin of Texarkana, Texas; daughter Mary Irene Berthelot and husband, Marc of Plano, Texas. Her grandchildren are Bryson and Cannon Harris, and Jack and Lucy Berthelot. She is also survived by her brother Chester Edwards, Jr. and wife, Laura of Longview. She was preceded in death by her parents and many cherished aunts and uncles. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Baylor University's Louise Herrington School of Nursing or for scholarships for children's summer activities at First Baptist Church of Longview. The family will receive friends 6-8 p.m. today, June 5, 2013, at Rader Funeral Home, 1617 Judson Road.

Barbara Ann Harris

August 16, 1938 - June 1, 2013