Funeral services for Geraldine “Gerry” Fay Harris, 83, of Portales, will be at 10:00 AM, Fri., June 15, 2018, at the University Baptist Church with Rev. Steve Smith officiating. Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with Kyle Harris, Jeff Harris, Nathan Walker, Chad Walker, Chance Walker, Chaney Hancock and Kent McMillan serving as pallbearers. Dennis Darrow along with all other friends will serve as honorary pallbearers.
The family will receive guests at the funeral home on Thursday evening from 6:30 to 8 PM. Those desiring to make memorial contributions may send them to the New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home, P O Box 629, Portales, NM 88130.
Geraldine Fay Harris was born May 9, 1935 in Parkview, NM to the home of Letta Lee (Chambers) and Millard Isaac Long and died June 10, 2018 in Portales, NM. The first few years of her life were spent in Parkview near Chama. As a young child, she came to Portales to live with her grandmother. Just before her senior year, she moved to Artesia, where she graduated from high school in 1953. On Sept. 5, 1953, in Fort Leonard Wood, MO she was married to the love of her life, Roy Harris. After moving several times due to his military stations, they came back to Portales. They moved to Albuquerque in 1956, but returned two years later. While living there, Gerry, as she was known to virtually everyone, worked at the Chrysler dealership. For a short time, they moved to Fayetteville, AR to manage a small motel that family members had bought. When they returned to New Mexico, they moved to Eunice where they stayed until 1963. From there, they moved to Tripoli, Libya where her husband worked for Oasis Oil Co for the next seven years. In the late 1970’s, Mrs. Harris began working at C&S Oil Co, where she advanced to the position of Office Manager. After 15 years with C&S, Gerry went to work as a secretary at Eastern New Mexico University, and retired in the early 2000’s.
Gerry was a very talented seamstress. In addition to her sewing, she enjoyed quilting and raising beautiful flowers in her garden. Gerry was a devout Christian, and for the past several years had been attending University Baptist Church with her children.
She is survived by Roy Harris, her husband of nearly 65 years of their home; a son and daughter-in-law, Steve and Sandra Harris of Portales; two daughters, and a son-in-law, Dawn Elise and Mark Walker of Clinton, OK and Lori D’Anne Hancock of Portales; eight grandchildren, Kyle (Amanda) Harris, Jeff (Ashley) Harris, Stormi Hancock, Chaney Hancock, Nathan (Sandra) Walker, Chad Walker, Chance (Chamee) Walker and Stephanie (Kent) McMillan; six great-grandchildren; and a brother, Kenneth Long of Albuquerque, NM. She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Donovan and Calvin Long.
