Mary Catherine Reed
b. 8 October 1944, d. 23 October 2008
- Mary Catherine Reed was born on 8 October 1944 in Austin, Travis County, Texas.
- She married William Evan Harris, son of Evan Pinkney Harris and Minnie Elizabeth Wood, on 15 June 1982 in Brazos County, Texas.
- Mary Catherine Reed became a widow at the 22 December 2007 death of her husband William Evan Harris.
- Mary Catherine Reed died on 23 October 2008 at age 64.
- The following appeared on 28 October 2008 in the Austin American-Statesman: Mary Catherine Harris formerly Mary Catherine Reed died peacefully on Thursday October 23, 2008 after a courageous battle with brain cancer.
Mary Catherine Harris was born on October 8, 1944 in Austin, Texas to Mr. and Mrs. John D Reed. She attended Maplewood Elementary School, University Junior High, and graduated from Austin High School in 1962.
She attended Southwestern University and graduated with a Backelor of Arts in education in 1966. She then furthered her education by completing her master's degree in education at the University of Houston and graduated in 1972. Mary Catherine returned to school at Texas A&M University and received her doctorate in educational philosophy in 1998 where she received an award for Outstanding Thesis.
She spent the majority of her adult life in Bryan-College station and worked for Bryan Independent School district at Bryan High School for over 20 years. She taught English for many years before becoming a guidance counselor and head of the counseling department for Bryan High School. During that time she worked with and led many peer groups for at-risk youth, young pregnant mothers, and was a sponsor for National Honors Society. She also taught writing workshops for other educators. She loved all of her students and was always proud at what they accomplished. Her friends and colleagues at Bryan High School are among the best.
Mary Catherine's greatest accomplishment in life was being an amazing mother and cherished friend and educator. She was an accomplished seamstress, quilter and gardener. She loved to scrapbook and be outdoors as much as possible. She loved fishing off her dock at Camp Creek and taking nature walks with granddaughter Madelynn. Chances are, if it was a hot Saturday afternoon, you may even find her on the riding lawn mower with a large glass of iced tea, mowing two acres and loving every minute of it!
She was preceded in death by her husband William Evan Harris.
She is survived by her daughter, Lela Suzanne (Davis) Sterling and son-in-law, Robert Scott Sterling; step-son, William Evan Harris II and wife Laurie Harris of Dallas with grandchildran, Evan and Lauren; and step-son, Lincoln Clark Harris and wife Saba Harris of Germany with grandchildren, Vivian and Ian. She is also survived by her "Ya-Ya's" -- an amazing group of women what have known and loved her since grade school.
The family would like to extend special thanks to the amazing care team at Odyssey Hospice, Gail, Kaylee, Karen, the spiritual care team, Teresa, Connie, Toby, and John. I know we have probably forgotton someone, but you all mean so much to us. You made this time dignified and peaceful. You treated her with the utmost care and respect and led her peacefully into her next life.
Thank you also to Linda Wysong, a true friend since Maplewood Elementary School, without whom I would not have made it through this last year.
Love and many thank you's to Bryan High School and Bryan Independent School District for caring for our entire family in the summer of 2007 and throughout her fight with cancer. We love you as much as she does!
We would also like to thank Dr. Jason Melear, Holly and the staff at Southwest Cancer for your care and kindness.
Services are pending for early December.
- Last Edited: 16 Jun 2011
- Charts: Descendants of ABERCROMBIE Charles & Edwina Malinda "Dicey" Booth, Descendants of LeGRAND John & Margaret Chambers, Descendants of WOOD William & Lydia Ballentine