Obituary of Helen Jane Harris

Helen Jane Harris was born June 24, 1925 to George Finney and Catherine (Ware) Finney in McDowell, West Virginia. She departed this life peacefully on August 9, 2014 at Manor Care Nursing Home in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Helen graduated as the Salutatorian and Historian of Elkhorn High School in McDowell, West Virginia in 1942. She married William Harris, Jr., a coal miner, in 1943. Two children, Ronald Tyrone and Quesandra, were born of their union. Helen was known for her determination and her unbreakable spirit. Helen left West Virginia in 1952 to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse. She achieved this aspiration in 1955 when she graduated from the National School of Nursing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a licensed practical nurse. After graduation, Helen worked as a private duty nurse in Philadelphia for Episcopalian Bishop Cameron C. Alleyne until 1958. She continued her work as a private duty nurse, residing in both Philadelphia and Camden, New Jersey, until 1967. She then moved to White Plains, New York where she served as a nurse at the Jennie Clarkson Home for Girls. Helen returned to New Jersey in 1973 to continue her career in nursing at the John F. Kennedy Hospital in Cherry Hill. It was at that time she achieved another lifelong goal, independently purchasing her own home. It was in that home in Lawnside, New Jersey that she welcomed her loved ones with opened arms and a loving heart, and where she pursued her love of gardening and cooking. Helen also enjoyed travel, voyaging to Iceland, Scotland, England, Mexico, and throughout the United States, but nothing pleased her more than returning to her little house. Lawnside was also where she made her church home, becoming a dedicated member of Grace Temple Baptist Church. Helen faithfully served as a nurse in the church's health ministry until she retired from nursing in 1994. Helen is survived by a son, Ronald Tyrone Harris, M.D.; a daughter, Quesandra Harris; a daughter-in-law, Joyce Ann (Scott) Harris; three granddaughters, Kira Denise Harris-Braggs, Aleta Renée Harris, and Maya Catherine Harris-Cameron; two grandsons-in-law, Hassiba Braggs and Robert Anthony Cameron; three great-grandchildren, Kayla Ann Braggs, Leila Ayanna Braggs, and Isaiah Nathaniel Talbott; one niece, Sarah Jeanette Connor-West; and a host of extended family and friends.