Harris F. Mary Obituary (1928 - 2007)

PONTIAC - Mary F. Harris, 79, Pontiac, died at 5:45 p.m. Sunday (March 11, 2007) at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Peoria. Her funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the First Presbyterian Church in Pontiac, with the Rev. William Beswick and Pastor Patrick Embley officiating. Burial will be in Southside Cemetery in Pontiac. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Duffy Funeral Home in Pontiac, and for one hour prior to the service Thursday at the church. Memorials may be made to American Diabetes Association, First Presbyterian Church or American Heart Association. She was born Feb. 18, 1928, in Salem, daughter of Opal P. and Fern M. Swain Richardson. She married John F. Harris on Feb. 5, 1949. He died June 19, 1999. Surviving are sons, John (Jane) Harris Jr., Pontiac; Tom (Jane) Harris, Normal; and Steve (Kathy) Harris, Cornell; daughters, Cathy (Ron) Starks, Graymont; Sandy Weber, Fairbury; and Diane (Kevin) Lee and Donna (Roger) Adams, both of Pontiac; brother-in-law, Joe Harris, Muncie, Ind.; sisters-in-law, Marguerite Mies and Mary (Harold) Becker, both of Pontiac; 27 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; and special caregivers, Kristi and Robin Bohm, Pontiac. She was preceded in death by her husband, John F. Harris Sr.; her parents; her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Fred and Catherine Marguerite Harris; and special grandmother, Mary Swain. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Pontiac, and was a homemaker. Mary was a 1946 graduate of Pontiac High School. She also attended Bloomington Academy of Cosmetology. Her family and friends were "VERY SPECIAL" to her. She was loved by all and opened her heart and home to everyone she knew.