Elaine Harris

HARRIS, Elaine

Elaine Harris, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend...a long-time resident of Atlanta, died December 24, 2023, at the age of 99. She is survived by her daughters, Jesse Bathrick (Richard Bathrick) and Leslie Harris (Peter Basch); her grandchildren, Sam Bathrick (Korin Mills), Emma Basch (Matthew Fleischman) and Max Basch (Molly Klores); and great-grandchildren, Asa and Kemi Bathrick, Willa and Eli Fleishman, and Henry Basch. She was predeceased by her husband, Elliott Harris; and her partner, Robert Shuster.

Elaine was born in New York City in 1924 and spent her early childhood in the Bronx. Her memories of summers in a tent community on Orchard Beach remained clear and precious to her till the very end of her life. In the height of the Great Depression, her family moved to a small Massachusetts town for work.

She arrived in Atlanta with her husband and daughters in the 1950s, and quickly took to city life; but she was shocked by the rigid segregation and prejudices of the South of that time and became an ardent supporter of civil rights and liberties.

She was married for over sixty years to her husband, Elliott. Then late in life, she found love and adventure with her partner, Robert Shuster. They traveled the world and together they lit up the room.

Elaine was a loving mother and devoted herself to raising her children and doting on her grandchildren. She was a vibrant woman who had the ability to show attention to others and make any person she talked with feel welcome and understood. Elaine was often a quiet person but could surprise us with her wry sense of humor.

She was a voracious reader and a lover of cats. She was a long-time member of the Temple, and for many years sang in the choir. For a time, Elaine worked as a tour guide at WSB, and at the Atlanta Merchandise Mart.

Elaine was a caring and steadfast friend to many, including a group of 10 women called the Good Time Girls, who every month explored the art and culture of Atlanta and beyond, including the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Grand Ole Opry, Santa Fe, San Francisco, and London.

She was a woman of great beauty and style, and remained so until her death. When the family celebrated her 99th birthday only weeks before her death, she arrived with her hair freshly coiffed, and her make-up artfully applied.

Although she spent her life in the South, she never learned to speak a word of southern. Her efforts to include "y'all" in a sentence evoked peals of laughter from her children.

In her last year she was lovingly cared for by Oksana and Hope McFarlane. We are so grateful.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes contributions to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and the Atlanta Humane Society. Arrangements by Dressler's Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.