LILLIAN AVARA HARRIS

LILLIAN HARRIS Obituary

HARRIS, LILLIAN AVARA (BECKY) Lillian Avara (Becky) Harris of Birmingham died July 19 following a lengthy illness. She attended St Mary's Episcopal School in Sewanee, TN and was a graduate of Ramsay High School. Prior to her retirement she and her husband spent several years in music ministry. She worked as a decorator and was a volunteer rape response counselor and Red Cross disaster volunteer. After retiring she enjoyed traveling, gardening, Bible study her dogs Lillie and Bridget, and attended St Mark's Roman Catholic Church. Lill was predeceased by her husband of thirty-nine years, Skip Harris and great-grandchild Shelby Hope Williams. Survivors include daughters Temple Wells (Glenn) of Trussville; Leslie Schmidt (Bob) of Destin, FL; sons Skip Harris, Jr. (Vickie) of Hoover; Blake Harris (Kellie) of Tuscaloosa; sisters Nancy Gillis of Alabaster and Cindy Felis of Boynton, OK; thirteen grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Celebration of her life will be August 27, 11:00a.m., at St Mark the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, 7340 Cahaba Valley Road. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to United for Life Foundation, P. O. Box 745, Fairfield, AL 35064.

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Published by AL.com (Birmingham) on Jul. 24, 2011.

Memories and Condolences
for LILLIAN HARRIS

10 Entries

holly wells

August 25, 2011

i hold her memory in my heart,and never will forget her. she was there for me all my life and provided me with love and support.so many things i wouldnt have been able to do with out her and it's so hard to say goodbye.i miss her laugh,the way she talked and the way she carried herself. i miss the memories of growing up and spending time at her house.we served the lord,we sang and she could whistle like a bird!she and i used to look for sand dollars and angel fish at the beach. she called me her water buddy.she encouraged me to do so many things and was very wise. some of our talks i will never forget as she taught me about life and Gods love. i miss her so much and i know she loved me and everyone in her life. even when she was sick she seemed so brave and strong. she was a beautiful woman and there are so many wonderful things she did over the course of her life that have impacted us all. i miss you and love you gigi

Steve Blalock

August 4, 2011

I will miss you Becky & look forward to seeing you again.
I am truly blessed to have met her & remember fondly of our
wonderful conversations.
As my Dad wrote so beautifully,I will carry vivid,lovely memories of her for the rest of my life !
My love & blessings to her family. Steve XO

Debbie Spear

August 2, 2011

I am so sorry that I never stopped to have a cup of coffee, get to know her, or be a better neighbor. Our dogs are best friends and the boys at the top of the hill still stop and look down the street for the girls! I live at 949 with Bosko who still pines for Bridgett. I visited with her as the dogs walked the circle but didn't walk down to see her often enough. That is my loss.

I did visit her one afternoon at the Noland Center and was amazed at what she had been through. We tried to "talk" and I had actually checked out a book on CD for her to help occupy her time. I had planned on visiting her again that week.

Your Mom, Grandmother, Sister was truly a neat person and I can't stop looking at the house in disbelief.

My thoughts and prayers are with you as you go through this difficult time.

Jerry Blalock

August 2, 2011

Becky, yes, Becky! Not "Lill"; even tho she insisted on the latter, I refused to call her that because "Becky" was not only her name since we were four and five years old together, but "Becky" reminds one (at least me) of the old South where women were the most beautiful of all. And Becky was surely this as well as such a wonderful gift to those who knew her. So graceful, outspoken, productive, artistic and family-oriented. And her faith in our God never wavered.

We will all miss her but will carry vivid, lovely memories of a most beautiful person for the rest of our lives. God bless you, Becky. From your loving cousin, Jerry.

Laura Quinn

July 30, 2011

Aunt Lill left her her mark on the world. She made the world a more beautiful place in so many ways: most importantly via the legacy of her children and grandchildren

Charles Gardner

July 27, 2011

Many call her Becky still, but I was chastened early on and only called this special woman Lil . Lil was a character. I always knew where she stood on an issue, and as her pasror for a brief time, I loved her honesty[mostly} creativity, and incredible work ethic. She loved Jesus, and the sacraments and would not tolerate anything that even hinted of disrespect for the Eucharist. She gave freely of her talents and treasures. I am a better and wiser person for having known her and having had to "deal" with her! May her soul rest in eternal peace. My love and prayers to the family. Love and Blessings

Sue Ashworth

July 26, 2011

Becky was one of the most memorable personalities of my day. She had 20/20 focus on both the details and the big picture. Very straight forward, she did not waste her life or words "beating aroung the bush". She was an excellent problem-solver with a deep sense of justice. She illuminated the darkest hour with her wisdom and her bright flashes of humor. To know her was to be constantly surprised - to either expect the unexpected, or get out of the way. She gave me a party once, and all the food was made of edible flowers!

Heather Williams

July 24, 2011

We will never forget the impact that she had on our lives! We are really glad that we had the honor and birthright to call her our Grandmother. We will never stop loving her and her memories will live on through great people and wonderful stories! Her life was great and she called the shots until the very end. We are so glad that she suffers no longer! Love, Love, Love!!!

Loving Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Friend ~ We will miss you!

Heather Williams

July 24, 2011

Liz Sherrell

July 24, 2011

I am sorry for your loss. I remember Becky's love for decorating the altar at Church of the Good Shepherd. She also purchased teddy bears for welcome baskets for many of the youth who came to The King's Ranch and Hannah Homes. She wanted them to have something to cuddle when they came to us from a traumatic situation.

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