Elizabeth Sue Harris

Sue was born in Dallas, Texas on August 20, 1930, daughter of Andrew Griffin Byrum and Annie Mary White, both fifth generation descendants of families who settled in Dallas County in the 1860s. Sue grew up in Mineola, where “Sue Beth” was a twice-recognized valedictorian, first at Ward School in 8th grade, and later when graduating Mineola High School in 1947. After high school, the Byrums moved back to the family’s ancestral roots in Garland. Sue attended North Texas State College for two years, and then transferred to The University of Texas at Austin. At age 20, she received her BBA degree from UT in 1951. Sue began her post-college employment in public relations at the original Neiman-Marcus store in Dallas, and remained there until 1957, upon the birth of her first child.

Well after meeting during their college days at UT, Sue married Lt. Nat Harris III on March 28, 1953 in Garland, and became an Army officer’s wife until Nat completed his military obligation and active Corps of Engineers duty in Korea. She and Nat lived in Dallas, and in 1957, 1960 and 1962 became proud parents of three sons. The family was active in Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, where the boys were acolytes. Sue was the acolyte crew’s manager for two years, before accepting a job as the church day school’s bookkeeper. Sue led her sons’ early activities in Scouting by volunteering as a Cub Scout den mother, and supporting Nat’s Cubmaster role. Later, Sue actively supported her sons and Assistant Scoutmaster Nat during more than ten years of Boy Scout Troop 124 outdoor activities. While active in Scouting, all three sons earned their Eagle Scout ranks, following their father’s own Eagle Scout achievement as a boy. Following retirement from church school bookkeeping in 1981, and in order to pursue her expanding genealogy interests, Sue and Nat made numerous trips to ancestral burial sites throughout the U.S., and during this time Sue served on the board of the Dallas Genealogical Society.

Sue and Nat enjoyed travel and sports car rallies, and were active in the Dallas Sports Car Club for their several years after marriage and prior to parenthood. As parents of older school-age children, they owned a family boat and later an Airstream travel trailer. First with the growing kids and then after the boys were in college, Sue and Nat traveled over much of the United States, Mexico and Canada. Sue and Nat enjoyed summer water skiing, and winter skiing with their sons, with years of winter trailer trips to New Mexico and Colorado.

Sue and Nat fulfilled their dream of returning to Austin in 1993, moving to three acres of Hays County land near Dripping Springs. Over the next two years and while living in their on-site trailer, they built their retirement home, designed by their architect son Jon, providing much of the field work themselves. Unfortunately, as their home base for longer-term travel was nearing completion, Nat died after a short illness. Sue lived in the completed home for eleven years, before moving to Austin.

Sue’s surviving family members include sons Mark (Alice) and Dr. David (Michele) of Austin, and Jon (Lezle) of Tabernacle, N. J.; and grandchildren Kaitlin, Sean, Eile, A.J., Kyle and Joshua Harris.

The family will receive friends from 9:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M., Saturday, December 8, 2018 at Cook-Walden/Forest Oaks Funeral Home with a Celebration of Sue’s Life at 10:00 A.M. in the Chapel with Donna Mayfield, Celebrant. Interment will follow at Cook-Walden/Forest Oaks Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like contributions to be made to the Breast Cancer Resource Center at www.bcrc.org.