Geraldine Mae Harris

When Pam Nix's husband died suddenly from a heart attack at age 42, the first person to come to her side was Gerry Harris. She gave her money to help pay her bills and continued to stay in touch daily for several weeks to help her and her family get through this tough time. Gerry had stayed in touch with Pam since she was the flower girl in her wedding. Other friends and family recalled several such gestures of generosity as the Gerry we knew was taken by Alzheimer's disease on November 11, 2009, at Sunrise of Edmonds. She was 68.

Gerry's first job out of San Diego High School was with the phone company. In 1960, she moved with her parents to Seattle where she transferred to Pacific Northwest Bell. She worked in secretarial positions for 35 years. Gerry enjoyed working for the phone company where she was dedicated to her work, her co-workers and her bosses. She was known for her perfectionism, organizational skills, and top flight typing and steno skills. She was proud to retire with a perfect attendance record.

Gerry and her husband Dave Harris were married on Valentine's Day in 1964. Gerry supported both of them as Dave returned to school to pursue his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Fine Art at the University of Washington. After being awarded the degree in 1970, David was hired as one of the first two art instructors at North Seattle Community College. He taught sculpture, ceramics, art history and visual thinking for 37 years. He was an innovative instructor who influenced many Northwest artists. David also taught martial arts for several years and was widely regarded as one of the most skilled martial arts teachers anywhere. Gerry handled the scheduling, bookkeeping and photography for the school. She enjoyed being the sole woman in the company of the male students and they in turn loved her humor and friendship.

Gerry and Dave were almost inseparable. Neither of them liked to cook so every night was a night out at a favourite restaurant. They loved to take drives to meet friends, attend martial arts exhibitions, stroll through art galleries, street fairs, try new restaurants and see the sights of the Northwest. They also enjoyed long vacations to the Oregon coast, California, and other parts of the West. In later years, Gerry and Dave bought a red BMW convertible to travel in style.

Friends were important to Gerry. She attended every reunion of her 1958 San Diego High School Class through the 45th reunion in 2003. She made up for Seattle's cloudy days with annual trips to San Diego to see friends she had known since childhood. In Seattle, Gerry and Dave had a long standing Friday night date with their friends Jeanne and Vern Parvin where they would meet at Woerne's Bakery on the Ave and later the Elliott Bay Bookstore for conversation, a bite to eat and book browsing.

Gerry enjoyed hosting parties for their friends and family to celebrate their wedding anniversary, her birthday and the founding of the karate school that all occurred in February. Once the guest list outgrew their house, Gerry moved the parties to larger venues. Her final large party before the dementia struck was for her 60th birthday at a large Lake Union restaurant.

Photography was one of Gerry's passions. She took great photos with a point and shoot camera that won ribbons at local art shows. Her friends treasure the albums she made especially for them that recorded a special event they shared. Gerry was never shy in front of a camera either. She loved the television show Northern Exposure. Parts of it were filmed in the Northwest. She was determined to become an extra in an episode. After many visits to the casting office, she was successful at winning an extra role and she made sure all of her friends tuned in to see her 10 seconds of fame.

Gerry was born in San Diego on February 22, 1941. Her parents were Nadine and Wally Watson. She also had a brother, Ronald, who died in 1979. David Harris preceded her in death on September 10, 2008.

Gerry is survived by her cousins Ramona, Wayne and Gary Hensrude. We want to thank Gerry's friend Marsha Shaw for stepping forward to be her health guardian a year ago. She devoted many hours to ensure that Gerry was comfortable in her last year. We also want to thank the staff with Sunrise of Edmonds for their attentive care of Gerry. We regret they didn't know Gerry before the Alzheimer's disease took her memory and happy way of life.

You are invited to post your remembrances in the guest book of washelli.com.