Mary Ellen Jordan Harris

Mary Ellen Harris, née Jordan, of Raleigh, NC, died at home on October 28, 2026, at age 102. She was born April 28, 1924, on her parents’ dairy farm near Siler City, NC. The daughter of Claude Womble Jordan and Blanche Mae Jordan (née Jones), she spent her childhood on the farm with her parents, two brothers, and grandmother. They weathered the stresses of the Great Depression through hard work, the food they raised, some fun at the swimming hole, and for Mary Ellen, regular visits to the bookmobile. She learned to read at a young age and was an avid reader throughout her life.

Above all, Mary Ellen loved going to school and learning, especially math, and she set her sights on learning everything there was to know. She was salutatorian of the Siler City High School graduating class of 1940. In the fall of 1941, just before the United States entered World War II, she began her freshman year at Guilford College in Greensboro, thanks to a tuition grant and the acre of cotton she and her mother had farmed to raise the fees. Ever committed to her math studies, she earned excellent grades and a coveted spot in the Scholarship Society, all while working as head cook at Mary Hobbs Hall. Upon graduating in 1945, she landed a job performing calculations at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company in Connecticut, but the war ended and so did the program that had hired her. She then began working at the NC State College Department of Experimental Statistics in Raleigh. After taking one class at a time, she became one of their first 10 students to earn a Master of Science degree in statistics in 1949.

She and Peter John Harris, an NC State mechanical engineering student of Spartanburg, SC, married in 1950 at Moon’s Chapel Baptist Church in Siler City. They made their lives in Raleigh, with Mary Ellen working as the bookkeeper at John’s HVAC business and raising their three boys—James (Jim), Richard, and Peter. The family spent lots of time camping and fishing at the coast and even constructed a beach cottage almost entirely themselves in Surf City, NC, with Mary Ellen just as ready to hammer nails as make the sandwiches. She fashioned herself a reading nook in the cottage and always called that house the most peaceful place on earth.

Mary Ellen was an active volunteer at Christ Episcopal Church in Raleigh, including St. Dorothea women’s group, the knitting ministry, Meals on Wheels, and answering the phone for 25 years. She is remembered by all who knew her as a woman of fortitude, kindness, patience, faith, and humor. She was a quiet trailblazer, steadfast wife and mother, devoted grandmother and great-grandmother, respectful mother-in-law, great dog lover, and cherished friend.

Mary Ellen was preceded in death by her husband, Peter John Harris; her parents, Claude and Blanche Jordan; and two brothers, Henry Jordan III and Norman Jordan. She is survived by her sons: James Harris (Julia) of Raleigh, NC; Richard Harris (Patti) of Treasure Island, FL; and Peter Harris (Carolyn) of Surf City, NC; granddaughters Caroline “Cally” Harris (Tripp Willis) and Emily Harris; grandsons Josiah Harris (Ari) of Raleigh, NC, and Aaron Harris (Carley Wells) of Hampstead, NC; great-granddaughter Tate Harris of Hampstead, NC; and several generations of nieces and nephews.

The family thanks Heartland Hospice and caregivers Alice Momanyi, Leah Gitau, Tripp Willis, and Tami Munroe for their many months of excellent care.

A funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at Christ Episcopal Church, 120 E Edenton St, Raleigh, NC 27601.

Memorial donations may be sent to Christ Episcopal Church or Heartland Hospice.

Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's Street, Raleigh is serving the Harris family.