Ruth D. Harris

On October 2nd 2016 the world lost an icon of the Greatest Generation of Americans. Ruth Ellen Daugherty Harris, a stunningly elegant woman with the poise and magnetism of the likes of Grace Kelly and Lauren Bacall, passed peacefully in her sleep just a few months shy of her 102nd birthday.  Mops was the keystone that we all leaned on as we navigated our lives. She was the inspiration and confidence of what the future could hold for any of us.
Raised by a strong, traditional family during the Roaring Twenties, she developed into a confident and independent young woman.  Her foundations were refined by lessons of the Great Depression which taught her to be practical, resourceful and never wasteful.  
Marrying the love of her life William “Bill” Harris in 1934, she displayed class, compassion and reverence for protocol over his career that made her the consummate general’s wife.  ‘Mops’, as she was known by the family, always noticed the inner beauty, a display of flair and style in others.  She led her life to the fullest and gave it everything she had.
We will always remember the sound of gravel in the driveway crunching under the wheels of her Bonneville as she pulled up to the back door of their home.  There is and will never be anything more comforting than the smell of the dry mountain air and the hint of Bill’s pipe tobacco as we rushed into the family room.  HOME!  Mops’ was the meaning and origin of the phrase "A place for everything and everything in its place."  
She was up early every morning and did everything in a calm and methodical way, devoid of any sense of chaos or confusion.  It wasn’t unusual to come downstairs to breakfast and find her putting away her clean golf clubs after a round at sunrise on the Par 3 course. She would have a load of laundry going, enough hot kippers, grits and eggs on the kitchen counter for everyone, freshly washed Bing cherries in a colander eagerly ready for canning with Brandy later in the afternoon and she would be on the phone making plans for their bridge and poker nights with dear friends …Oh and she had a pencil behind her ear as she did the New York Times Crossword Puzzle in her down time.
Mops made sure to be a thoughtful and compassionate part of every meaningful event for everyone around her.  She had time for everyone and she was always early and ahead of the game many times reminding us what mattered the most.  There is no reason for any of us to be sad as she is laid to rest with Bill at Fort Logan Cemetery.  We are better off for having shared our time on this earth with the moral and loving guidance of Ruth Ellen Daugherty Harris.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to the Littleton Museum and Library in her name.  The address is 6028 South Gallup Street, Littleton, CO 80120.  Inquiries can be made to Jenny Hankinson, Curator of Collections.  Telephone:  (303) 795-3997.
 

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