LaVan Roe Harris

June 16, 1934 - June 23, 2022

The world has been changed for all of us in what seems like the blink of an eye. Beloved Spirit of God, LaVan Roe Harris, passed away on June 23, 2022 at the youthful age of 88. There was a beautiful and bountiful light that genuinely flowed through Vanna, the preferred name first introduced by grandchildren and later was adopted by most others who she came to know through all the rest of her life - she embodied the power and simplicity of its vernacular.

Vanna was preceded in death by her parents David and Rubye Roe of Teague, Texas, her husband Charles M. Harris (“Poppie”) of Austin, Texas, and her brother David Roe of Glendale, Arizona. Multiple other family members also preceded Vanna, including grandparents, aunts, and cousins, too many to name in this format. We acknowledge this is the “end of the beginning” for Vanna, but we miss her immensely, nonetheless.

Vanna is survived by her oldest son, Chuck Harris and wife Carrie of Palestine, Texas, daughter Susan Gayle Harris of Austin, Texas, son James Thomas Harris and wife Maricela of Austin, Texas, and sister-in-law Lawanda Harris of Katy, Texas. Nephew Gary Harris and wife Debbie of San Antonio, Texas hold a very special place in the hearts of Vanna and Poppie.

Collectively, as Vanna’s children, it is easy to say that Gary and Debbie Harris have been an extension of our immediate family, always offering support and remaining present in all of our lives, for so many years, in good times and bad. We are grateful for their presence and love.

Multiple grandchildren: Kyle Thomas Harris of Palestine, Jackson David Harris and fiancé Amber Prince of Austin, Texas, Jacob Thomas Harris and wife Victoria of Austin, Texas, Matthew James Harris and girlfriend Maddy Maneikis of Austin, Texas, and Marisha Alford of Medina, Texas.

Two great-grandchildren: Jaylen Akeem Alford and Eric Charles Alford

*Many other special nieces and nephews, and lots of wonderful cousins

Vanna was born in Dallas, Texas on June 16, 1934 to David and Rubye Roe. After graduating high school in West Columbia, Texas, LaVan met and married Charles Melvin Harris on April 10, 1954. LaVan and Charles decided to move to Austin where they remained, raising three children and establishing a legacy of love and devotion to the Austin Community, including full devotion and servitude to multiple churches (Crestview Baptist as our Home Church), schools, and all of their friends and family – including, and especially, the Crestview Baptist Church family.

In fact, if I may speak for all of the children, if they were a friend of ours, they were welcomed into the family fray as part of the Harris family, no questions asked. This family participation included frequent meals, vacation and local travel, regular church attendance, Sunday lunch immediately after church, all sporting events, and staying over on pallets or sleeping bags. Family, too, came to live with us for various periods of time and were shown the same degree of love and inclusion, and without any expectation of repayment except to live a good life, pass the generosity on to others, and follow the same example Vanna and Poppie set. What a display of unconditional love in action, not just empty words offered.

Vanna worked many jobs during her life, but we believe she was most proud of owning a highly successful housecleaning business for almost 40 years. What made the business most consistently successful was the way she treated her clients. She taught all of us that one of the greatest lessons of running any business is to follow the Golden Rule, to treat others the way you want to be treated. So, her clients were treated like friends, and friends became like family. Simply stated, that allowed everyone to be part of her family. All business advertising was done by word-of-mouth, no outside marketing, and when she retired at the age of 80 there was still a waiting list of dozens of people hoping for the chance to become associated with Dynasty Cleaning Service, a.k.a. Vanna. That was the first and most lasting lesson for all of us - about work ethic and letting your actions speak for you, as you serve others.

That inextinguishable light that was Vanna, remained present, even as she continued to fight to remain with us, all the way until her last breath. That luminescence that can never be turned off will now be carried on by all of us who were blessed to know and love her. The way Vanna displayed such fortitude, fighting to remain with us, was an example for all of us to follow - the model she intended for us was to never give up on what you believe in, to fight for family, to care for each other, to care for those of us less fortunate, and to live a life as Christ intended. We can think of no one who more exemplified how to live a Christ-like life than Vanna.

For those of us who remain here on earth, this is clearly a time that is just a bizarre dichotomy of emotions and memories. There are moments of deep sadness sometimes immediately followed by memories of happiness, joy, and elation in remembering what she would say (or for those who really knew her, “how” she would express herself with her captivating and multisyllabic accent of single syllable words) to get her point across. Watching UT Longhorn football games will never be the same without hearing her say, “Git hi-um”, and “Come on, Ho-orns.”

All of our lives are exceedingly richer because of the life Vanna chose to live and share with us. She put others first and enveloped them with love, served those who were less fortunate, relentlessly empowered and ensured every member of the family would feel her love and genuine concern (including those who she unofficially adopted into the family), fed those we invited into our home, and made sure she kept all the family connected - she was our link to each other. She still is, and always will be.

Although we tried, there are not enough words that can effectively and justifiably sum up Vanna’s life, but our own devotion and actions moving forward serves as a reflection of her philosophy: authentic love and devotion to others - everything that she spent her life teaching us.

Thank you, Vanna, for being such a powerful light in our lives. It is time for you to rest with the knowledge that you fulfilled your life’s destiny. Job, well-done. Now, we will honor you by carrying that light on for you.

One final note: Vanna was a stickler for grammar, punctuation, spelling, syntax, and content in all of our essays and writings growing up. She would review our papers to make sure they were to the highest standards. Hope this summary of her full life gives the memory of Vanna the justice it deserves. We also hope this tribute lives up to her writing standards, and can only imagine what grammatical edits she might have made. But most intriguing is to ponder if she would give this written submission a ‘letter-grade’, or she might decide to give it a “Ho-orns Up”, at least for the effort.

We would like to invite family and friends to join us as we remember and celebrate the life of LaVan “Vanna” Harris.

There will be a public viewing Thursday night, June 30, 2022, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Funeral Home and Cemetery, 14501 North Interstate 35, Pflugerville, Texas 78660 (512) 251-4118.

The funeral service will be held at the same location on Friday, July 1, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. Graveside service will be held at the adjacent cemetery immediately following the service for those who wish to stay.

In lieu of flowers or other arrangements, the family would appreciate that you make a donation in Vanna’s name to Hospice Austin. They took great and compassionate care of Vanna in the end, and they are funded by donations only.

Thank you from the Harris Family.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cookwaldencapitalparks.com for the Harris family.