Ruby Cowand Harrison

Ruby Cowand Harrison, 87, passed away peacefully at home on January 5, 2025. Ruby was born in 1937 to the late Eugene and Minnie Cowand. The last of five children, Ruby grew up on a farm in the small community of Republican in Bertie County, NC. After high school she attended Atlantic Christian College in Wilson, NC for a one-year secretarial program, working in the cafeteria to help pay for room and board. She looked back on her time there as a growing experience where she learned to make new friends outside the comfort of her childhood community. With relatives in Greenville, she settled there taking a secretarial position at ReDisCo. Living in a house near ECU that was divided into apartments, she met the love of her life, Bobby Harrison, who lived in an apartment in the same house. She often shared the story of their first meeting and date, when she and her roommate invited Bobby and his roommate to join them for a home-cooked meal. She and Bobby began a courtship, and it was not long before Bobby knew she was the one. Another story often shared was Bobby proposing before leaving for a work-related trip. She told him she had to think about it and would give him an answer when he returned. He was on pins and needles while away and Ruby was considering an opportunity to move to Washington, DC to work as a secretary for the FBI. It was Bobby or the new job in an exciting location. She chose Bobby. Her dream was marriage and family, and she was always happy with her choice of Bobby to fulfill her dream. Her children are thankful she made that choice too! They married on July 24, 1959.

Growing up, Ruby was fortunate to have a piano at home and take lessons, eventually playing the piano for her church as a teen. Playing music always brought her joy and she missed it, so Bobby bought her a piano when the children were young, and she started taking lessons to refresh her skills. When her father suggested she could teach, she asked her piano teacher to focus the lessons on how to teach. In 1972, she began teaching piano in her home with just a few young beginner students. The endeavor grew into a rewarding career that spanned 42 years, teaching over 160 children and adults through the years, sharing her love of music right at home in her living room. There always seemed to be a piano playing in the background at The Harrisons. She gave credit and expressed appreciation often that her father gave her the idea to teach.

Ruby worked hard to be a good mother and homemaker, striving to keep a perfectly clean and orderly house, and working to stretch every penny of Bobby’s salary. Camping was a cost-effective way to vacation so she and Bobby along with families in the neighborhood began camping trips together. What began as weekend trips to Kerr Lake in a tent evolved to pop-up camper excursions to Disney World, half-way across the country to Oklahoma, and a Washington DC trip. There were many fun family adventures.

After the children had grown and with Bobby’s retirement from his career with the State, Ruby and Bobby enjoyed numerous social adventures with neighbors and friends. Oyster roasts and Bunco parties being favorite events. During a dinner with their soon-to-be in-laws, they entered a raffle and won a two-week trip to the Orient! The resulting adventure set the stage for many more ‘bucket list’ trips with friends and family, including a cruise down the Rhine in Europe, Fall leaves in New England, and trips to Hawaii, Disney, and Niagara Falls. Ruby had always dreamed of world travel as a child on the farm, especially to Europe, and was thankful to have the dream fulfilled. She enjoyed looking back on her travels and sharing the pictures with friends and family.

Ruby was an active member of Hayes Barton Baptist Church for many years, teaching Sunday School, helping serve Wednesday Night Dinners and volunteering for the Meals on Wheels Program. In recent years she looked forward to the weekly televised church services.

Ruby is survived by her devoted children, Robert “Robb” G. Harrison, IV (Kent Stone) of Durham, NC, and Dana Warren (Marshall) of Spivey’s Corner, NC; two beloved grandchildren, Lindsey Warren and her fiancé Kevin Bower of Cary, NC, and Cole Warren of Raleigh, NC; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Ruby was preceded in death by her loving husband of almost 65 years, Robert Gaylord Harrison, III; her brother, Luther Mitchell Cowand; and her sisters Sarah Cowand Phelps, Betty Cowand Hughes, and Minnie Cowand Ridenour.

No formal service is planned currently. The family will welcome close friends and extended family at a future date and time to be announced. A special thank you from the family is extended to Tracy, Finda, Brenda and Judy for their love and care in recent years, and all Ruby’s wonderful neighbors who showed such love and support to all of us through the years.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations may be made to Hayes Barton Baptist Church (Television Ministry), 1800 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh NC 27608, Website: HBBC.org

Arrangements provided by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Marys' St., Raleigh, NC.