Jeanette Harris

Many things can be said about Jeanette Harris. Known to friends and acquaintances as a friendly, energetic, empathic and decisive woman, her compassionate nature would always shine through, revealing her charm, warmth and conscientious demeanor. She was warmhearted, gentle and organized in all the things she sought to accomplish. Jeanette was a mentor, a natural “teacher” capable of seeing things clearly, leading others and bringing out the best in all of those around her. She generally had a focus on harmony and peace.

Jeanette was born on November 24, 1951 at Glendale Hospital in Los Angeles, California. Her parents were Gene and Jackie Lorenzetti. Jeanette was raised in Los Angeles and La Puente, California. When she was young, Jeanette's friends and family found that “straightforward” and “honest” were perfect words to describe her. Even as a child, Jeanette demonstrated strong qualities of self-confidence, perceptive ability and a disposition that was enjoyable to those around her.

Jeanette grew up with two siblings. Jeanette was constantly involved in all sorts of activities with her family. She was even-tempered, taking care not to get involved in too many family conflicts. This quality served her well, in perpetually bringing harmony, understanding and a sense of peace to the family. Jeanette carried these traits into her adult life and served as one of many reasons why family and friends found her pleasurable and delightful to be around. Jeanette was a person who genuinely understood and cared for others, making powerful connections with those she knew.

During her high school years, Jeanette had a natural flair for cheering on and applauding just about everyone. She was constantly offering her support and encouragement to fellow members of the groups and activities in which she participated. She graduated from La Puente High School in 1969. She did well in school and genuinely enjoyed telling stories in a way that drew people to her. In this way, Jeanette had a talent for becoming the center of attention, a kind of social catalyst. Jeanette was often found to be the lead person facilitating a group activity, frequently filling the role of being “the life of the party.” Teachers and classmates knew Jeanette as an excellent listener. She placed a high value on learning and always understood that there was a new lesson to be grasped waiting for her just around the corner.

Always considered a “good” friend, Jeanette sought to understand the things that others enjoyed. For this reason Jeanette always seemed to possess a never-ending collection of acquaintances. Jeanette’s friends found her easy to know and get along with because of her talent for being socially at ease, adept at conversation, and always amiable in her dealings with others. Jeanette would always seek to learn what her friends enjoyed, and she would go out of her way to make sure that their needs were met. Jeanette was always seen as the type of person who was the more gracious giver. In fact, she sometimes felt ill at ease when she was the one on the receiving end. Throughout her life she had many friends. Later in life, she became friends with Connie Long, Cathy Carmichael and Linda Brown.

On August 22, 1987 Jeanette married Phillip Harris in Hacienda Heights, California. Compassionate and devoted, Jeanette worked hard to make her new family happy. She was always generous with her time and this meant that Phillip came first in Jeanette’s book. She was always caring and made certain that she considered Phillip’s feelings. By trusting her emotions, Jeanette did her best to make sure that both the marriage and home life ran smoothly. This is just one more example of how Jeanette was truly a person of empathy.

Jeanette’s quality of being a caring and tolerant person who was very accepting of others translated to being a good mother to her children. Jeanette shared these values with her three children, one son Arik and two daughters Heather and Leigh. Jeanette was also blessed with three grandchildren, Justin, Aleck and Hanna. Jeanette related well to children of all ages and was able to connect to them on their level. The children always loved her and she was completely and totally devoted to them.

Jeanette experienced success in her work life over and over again. Her primary occupation was homemaker/senior caregiver. Jeanette always made the effort to understand what was needed at work, and was well known by her colleagues as a team player. Jeanette took pride in managing her professional responsibilities and seemed to always know what was necessary to successfully complete a project. Jeanette was one to take the initiative and her skills at working cooperatively were highly valued. Jeanette continually sought to learn what her co-workers did well and how they were most effective, a talent that enabled her to help them develop their own potential.

Because she was organized and methodical, Jeanette took great pleasure in her various hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were writing poetry. Jeanette enjoyed sharing her passions with others and could singularly focus on one hobby at a time.

Jeanette derived much satisfaction from sports. Because she was so instinctive and could always grasp the big picture, Jeanette delighted in the strategy and inner workings of a competition. Jeanette was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite teams' events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were Lakers basketball.

Jeanette enjoyed traveling, and because she was so well organized, she would take on the responsibility of planning and scheduling all of the family vacations. Her gift for keeping things lively meant that vacations with Jeanette were always enjoyable. Favorite vacations included trips to Big Bear Mountain.

Jeanette was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. One of Jeanette's favorite was Boo Boo, a cat. They were best friends for 13 years. Her family was rounded out by her 14 cats.

Jeanette passed away on March 18, 2012 at home. She is survived by her two children, her husband, two grandchildren and two siblings. Services were held at Custer Christiansen Chapel.

Throughout her life, Jeanette was a gregarious and enthusiastic woman. She was generous in sharing her personal attributes, giving and helping those she knew and loved. She would often fill the role of coach, bringing out the best in everyone. She was imaginative, original, tender hearted and easy to get along with. Jeanette leaves behind her a legacy of life-long friendships and cherished memories. Everyone whose lives she touched will dearly remember Jeanette Harris.