Martha Harris

Martha Harris

Las Cruces -

MARTHA M. HARRIS, age 92, passed away peacefully on July 13, 2020 with her Husband George by her side. Martha was born February 10, 1928 in Lexington KY to Pastor Neil and Zela Jean Mcgowan. She was the youngest of 4 children.

At an early age, the family moved to Fresno CA because the Pastor had been given another church. After completing grade school, the family moved to the LA area where Martha completed High School and entered college in Pasadena CA.

While attending college she met Navy Medic Morrison who was attending on the GI bill. They were married before Martha

completed her graduation. The marriage produced 3 children. In addition to being a wife and mother, Martha was a model at I. Magnin, a high-end shop in Pasadena.

The newly wed Morrison's lived in the LA area and Tiberon across the bay from SAN Francisco. After her marriage ended in divorce Martha and her 3 children move to Sarasota FL.

In 1962 she met her present Husband George who had 2 sons and a daughter.

George was a NASA project manager who often visited Sarasota to check on a company, building a system for the Man in Space program. He separated from his wife in1963, she returned to Canada with the children,

In 1964 Martha moved to Washington DC to be with her present Husband, her children elected to stay with Uncle Keith in Florida. After Georges divorce Martha and George were married in July 1968

Martha and George remained in DC throughout the Manned Space missions of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. She provided care and support for many of the mission Flight Control teams and met many of the Astronaut crew members.

In 1968 Her husband was offered a key position as Head of the Satellite operations department with the 10 nation European Space Agency in Darmstadt Germany.

While in Germany she learned to speak German and was a member of the Von Schtuben club. Martha was also a very good musician with a low contralto voice range. She was also a poet and wrote many verses. She was well known for her cooking skills, which she hosted and served many elegant meals for visiting Scientists and engineers.

Through German friends she met a professional pianist with his own recording studio. They spent many sessions and produced several 1930/1950 favorites on CDs none of which went commercial.

At the end of the contract in 1975 she and her Husband went to Sioux Falls SD were He had been offered a position by the US Dept of Int/USGS to head up the Earth Resource Observation R&D team developing the next generation Software for Earth Imaging. Martha and Her husband found that the winters were too hard to bear. He was contacted by a person who had been a member of his staff in Germany and said they wanted to talk about a position with their company.

These talks led to Martha and her husband moving to Las Cruces in Fall 1979 were He was acting Vice president for operations and Flight Director for SPACECOM at the NASA TDRSS Facility in the White Sands Complex. Once again Martha built up a circle of Friends and volunteered at the Animal Safe Haven Gift shop. It was then she presented her husband with a magical birthday gift, Erika a German Short Hair Hunting dog who became as well loved as her mother Martha.

During the very trying days of the early Shuttle /TDRSS Recovery mission she was always ready with a kind word and meal for team members.

In summer 1985 she moved to Paris France were her Husband had been offered a position as the Liaison Officer Between the French Arianne Space organization who built and Launched the Arianne series of rockets and Intelsat the US/ International communications group. Once again Martha had to learn another culture and rudimentary French so she could do the shopping. Martha had a talent for turning an ordinary rental into a comfy home. The contract ended in 1991 and George decided it was time to retire. She often told people that she cried when we left Paris in Spring 1991 to come back to the USA. She and George moved back into their home in Las Cruces and started to live as retired people.

As the wife of an International Consultant Martha was always ready for the next adventure. Which came in 1997 when she moved to Montreal Canada were George had been given a contract with the Canadian Space agency to act as head of spacecraft operations/Flight Director for a major Canadian/USA mission to RADAR map the entire continent of Antarctica. Martha set up a home and entered the culture of French Canada. In 1999 the Mission was completed, and Martha and George came back to Las Cruces. Once again, they retired and picked up living the south west style.

Martha's and George's pal ERIKA had been put to sleep in late 1995. So, in 1998 Martha found a new dog, a Weimaraner named Otto, and he became her and George's constant companion till he was put to sleep in May 2013.

In 2016 Martha fell and broke her right hip. The operation to replace the hip and follow on therapy was performed at Mountain View Hospital. From this point Martha's rapidly declined. In late 2017 She fell and broke her left hip ,this also was replaced by doctors at Mountain View. Martha came home and received home care nursing until it became apparent she needed 24 hour care. She was placed as a trial in several of the local Nursing homes but her condition grew worse when Dementia started. In 2018 she entered The Heritage as a full time resident.

This vibrant person that was loved and cherished by people all over the world and will be missed because for some of us a light has gone out and the world is a darker and lonely place. She and George were together for over 50 years. So, from all of us who knew her it will never be good bye.

Those left to mourn her passing are her loving husband George Harris Jr of the family home. Two sons Kevin Morrison of Long Beach, CA Christopher Morrison, and Daughter Darren Morrison both of Tiberon, CA, George's daughter Sandra Harris of Toronto, Canada, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents and siblings John, Bill, and Mary McGowin.

Service arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Baca's Funeral Chapels of Las Cruces and Sunset Crematory of Las Cruces, 575-527-2222. Your exclusive provider for "Veterans and Family Memorial Care." For online condolences logon to www.bacasfuneralchapelslascruces.com