Margaret Lee Johnson Harris

HARRIS, Margaret Lee Johnson, 87, died March 1, 2009, after a long illness at a local hospital. She was born May 20, 1921 in Southampton County, Virginia, to the late Charles Thomas Johnson and Sally Nichols Johnson. For 35 years she proudly worked, first in housekeeping at the old Raiford Memorial Hospital until it closed, and then provided janitorial services for Franklin City public schools before retiring in 1985. Widowed at an early age, she took full responsibility for her children and provided them with love and guidance. She showed great pride in practicing those values given to her by her parents and community at a time when America was not kind to people of color and appreciated the opportunity to do a good job even though pay was meager. She passed this work ethic onto her children and encouraged them to seek education as their path in life. She also taught them to live for church, family and community, and felt all people had value and much to contribute. Her life was full of wit and wisdom that she did not hesitate to share with anyone around her. Mrs. Harris was preceded in death by her husband, Luke M. Harris Sr.; two sons, Charles Bernard Harris and Ernest Harris; five brothers, Johnnie Johnson, Samuel Johnson, Willie Johnson, Charlie Johnson and Emmett Johnson; three sisters, Bardie Johnson, Catherine Scoggins and Paige Carney; and one grandchild, Reagan Boykin. Survivors include two sons, Luke M. Harris Jr. and Dr. Alvin E. Harris (Alfreda), both of Franklin, Va.; and four daughters, Dr. SallyAnn H. Ferguson of Jamestown, N.C., Charlotte H. Boykin of Suffolk, Va., Augusta Lorraine H. Collins (Hubert) of Greenbelt, Md., and Charlene B. Adams (Willie) of Morrow, Ga.; a brother, Floyd Johnson (Eunice) of Portsmouth, Va.; 12 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, five great-great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Margaret Harris was a product of Southampton County, Virginia, and whose sacrifices and devotion to her family and friends will long be remembered as she answers a higher calling. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2009, at 11 a.m. at Hickory Grove AME Zion Church, 1419 Mariner Street, Franklin, Virginia, where she proudly sang in the Senior Choir and served on her beloved Deaconess Board until her illness. Burial will follow at the Helping Hand Cemetery, Courtland, Va. Elvin Vaughan Funeral Home, Franklin, Va., is in charge of the services. The family will receive relatives and friends at 122 W. 2nd Avenue, Franklin, Va., immediately after the burial. The family thanks the community for its condolences and expresses special appreciation to the nursing staff at Southampton Memorial Hospital for the gentle care they provided her.
This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.