Harris, Kathryn (Mrs. William H.) 1929- 2006

HARRIS, JACKSON, GERDES

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 9/20/2014 at 13:50:52

Sioux Center News August 30, 2006

Kathryn Harris
Kathryn "Kate" (Gerdes) Harris, 76, of Topeka, Kansas, formerly of Bedford and Hawarden, died Friday, August 18, in Topeka. Memorial services were August20 at Ritchie Funeral Home in Bedford.

Mrs. Harris was born November 9, 1929, in Spencer, Nebraska, the daughter of a principal and optometrist, Ben and Hazel (Jackson)Gerdes. She was a 1947 graduate of Hawarden High School. She attended college at UNI in Cedar Falls, where she earned her bachelor of arts degree in education. Shecontinued her education at Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee, where in 1951 she earned her doctorate in optometry.

She married William Houston Harris Jr. October 21, 1950. After graduation,the couple moved to Bedford to open their own optometry practice and begin their family. While in Bedford, she ran the Lake of Three Fires. After retiring, she moved to Topeka, Kansas. She became a paraprofessional at Quincy Elementary School, where she tutored children with learning disabilities. She had many passions such as gardening, antiquing and quilting. She was a blood drive organizer and a member of the Order of the Eastern Star.

She is survived by her children, Dennis Harris of Topeka, Valery Norton of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Dean Harris of Holly Springs, North Carolina; 10 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; a sister, Elinda "Linde" Ross of Hawarden; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband; a son, Daniel Harris; and, a brother, Gary Gerdes.