Frances Byrd (Sanderson) Harris | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Frances Byrd (Sanderson) Harris, 81, of Chesapeake, Va., passed away Saturday, September 29, 2012, at Chesapeake General Hospital.

    Born in Bath, NC in 1931, to parents Tim and Alice (Bunch) Sanderson, Frances and her brother Bill grew up working a tobacco farm with their parents and paternal grandparents. After completing high school in Bath, Frances went on to earn her Bachelor's degree from East Carolina Teachers College (now ECU). While teaching in Elizabeth City, NC, Frances met Navy serviceman and love of her life Larry Harold Harris. The two were married and Frances settled into life as a Navy wife and homemaker.

   After moving from station to station around the country, the couple eventually settled in Virginia Beach, VA where they raised their three boys together between Larry's deployments. They retired to Bath, NC where they lived and loved together until Larry's untimely death in 2005. No matter where they lived over the years, Frances was always a member of her local Episcopal church and a devout Christian in both word and deed.

    Frances is survived by her son Thomas (Chesapeake, VA) his wife Lynda and their children Marisa, Jordan and Austin; her son Tim (Fredericksburg, VA) his wife Angela and their children Beth and Matt; and, her son Tony (Osceola, WI) his wife Kirsten and their daughter Kate. She is also survived by her brother Bill (Bath, NC) and his wife Barbara; her brothers-in-law James Harris (Mebane, NC), Bob Harris (Pittsboro, NC) and Jim Ferrell (Raleigh, NC).

Frances was preceded in death by her parents Tim and Alice; her husband Larry; her sisters-in-law Carol and Delores; and, nephew Neal Sanderson.

    An interment service will be held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Bath, NC at a later date.In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to the Ronald McDonald House or your favorite charity.

    Frances Harris will always be remembered as a loving mother, wife and friend.