Lillian Harris

Lillian M. Harris
2/3/1927 - 9/14/2016
Lillian was born February 3, 1927 to Tracy and Mabel Lane in Red Lodge, Montana. She was the eighth child of the couple. Mabel died about six weeks after Lillian was born. Tracy was unable to care for a newborn so Mable's sister Jennie Nutt and her husband Henry took Lillian into their home in Billings, Montana where they raised her. When Lillian turned 16, she was formally adopted by Henry and Jennie. During her formative years, Lillian attended the First Church of the Nazarene in Billings where she learned to love Jesus as her personal Savior and Lord. At this church she heard a traveling men's quartet from Northwest Nazarene College and she desired to attend this school. In September of 1944, Lillian went to Nampa to start her junior year at the High School on the campus of NNC. Since this was during WWII a provision was made for seniors in high school to simultaneously take their freshman year of college, which she did. It was during this time that she met Paul Harris, who had just been discharged from the Navy. Paul and Lillian both traveled in quartets for NNC in the summer of 1947. After an engagement of a year and a half they married on June 2, 1948, a marriage which lasted until Paul's death 61 years later. They both graduated from NNC in 1949. Lillian graduated Cum Laude and was elected to Who's Who Among American College and University Students. Lillian followed Paul as he became a minister in the Nazarene Church. This took them to the states of Oregon, Washington, California, Iowa, Wyoming, and back to Oregon. From Oregon, Paul and Lillian went to Okinawa to pastor for four years. During these years, Lillian taught piano, played piano and organ in the churches, directed the choirs, and sang solos, trios, etc. After Paul retired, they moved to Nampa, ID to be near their daughter. Lillian was the last living member of both her birth and adoptive families. She is survived by her son Gary (Ginny) Harris, of Nampa, ID, Jeannine (Rick) Howard of Boise, ID, Jonathan (Pam) Harris of Fairfield, CA, eleven grandchildren and nine greatgrandchildren.
A drop in memorial will be held Monday, September 19 from 2.00-4.00pm at Nampa First Church of the Nazarene in the gym. 601 16th Ave S. Nampa, ID 83651