Jeanette Harris Harben

After a brave and determined battle with cancer, Jeanette Harris Harben died at Memorial Medical Center on Saturday May 10. She was 59.

Jeanette was born on August 4, 1948, during the British Blockade of Berlin to William and Gerda Harris. The family settled in Toronto, Canada, in 1951 where Jeanette excelled in academia. She graduated from Don Mills Junior High with the highest academic standing and then the Don Mills Collegiate Institute where she was an Ontario Scholar.
She went on to earn a BA in English Language and Literature in 1971 and an MA in English in 1972 at Victoria College, University of Toronto. While an undergraduate, she won the R.H M. Jolliffe Gold Medal in English Language and Literature with her best friend Anne Skabarnicki and was the Woodrow Wilson Finalist.

Her pursuit of education led Jeanette across the pond from 1975 to 1979 where she undertook graduate research at King's College, University of London. Along with her academic achievements, Jeanette also excelled in the world of writing; she wrote Canada: The Land and Its People for Macdonald Educational, was a writer in the editorial department of Camera Press writing and researching features and captions with an international flavor, and wrote for BBC Modern English.

While in graduate school and President of Lillian Penson Hall, she met husband Peter Harben while he was at the Royal School of Mines in London. In 1979 they set up the Manhattan office of Industrial Minerals journal and lived in Westchester County where their two children, Mark and Victoria, were born.

Shortly after, they discovered the beautiful Butternut Valley in upstate New York, where they raised their children in The Grove, an 1833 Greek revival house in the village of Morris. During that time she wrote Mountain Magic and Mined It! A Fairy Tale with Mineral Content for her own company, Butternut Books. She served as president of the Butternut Valley Arts and Crafts Center for several years.
She and her family soon followed the sun and her growing love for the southwest and moved to Las Cruces permanently in 2000. Jeanette was a realtor with Century 21 All Stars for five years and was the top producer in 2005. She was president of the Women's Council of Realtors and briefly acted as PR Chairman for the Board of Realtors.
All that knew her will miss her radiant smile, vibrant style, and boundless generosity. She is survived by husband Peter Harben, children Mark and Victoria, and Aunts Annemarie Birch of Toronto and Renata Adams of Newport, RI. A private family funeral will be held at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Las Cruces.

Jeanette requested in lieu of flowers donations be made to Jardín de los Niños, 999 West Amador Avenue, Las Cruces, NM 88005 (jardin@zianet.com).

The Harben Family has entrusted their loved one to the care of Baca's Funeral Chapels, 300 E. Boutz Road to direct Funeral Service. 527-2222