Mary Margaret Durham Harris

Mary Margaret Durham Harris, 86, passed away peacefully on January 2, 2024, in her medical care room at the Lenbrook senior living facility in Atlanta, GA. Born in Durham, NC, on November 10, 1937, she was predeceased by her parents Junius and Ruth Durham, and her brother William Durham.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in law, Greg and Cynthia Harris; her daughter and son-in-law Charlotte and Dave Beltrami; and her grandchildren Sam Beltrami, Caroline Beltrami, Will Harris, Henry Beltrami, and Mac Harris.

Mary Margaret was a 1956 graduate of Reynolds High School in Winston Salem, NC. She studied at the University of North Carolina, starting with 2 years at the Woman’s College in Greensboro and graduating in 1960 from the undergraduate business school in Chapel Hill where she served as President of the Tri Delta sorority.

In 1964, Mary Margaret moved to Atlanta with her husband Henry, where she raised their children, and later worked as a residential real estate agent, tour guide, and Piedmont Hospital volunteer.

Known as “Nanny” to her five grandchildren, she took each of them on their own special adventure when they turned 10, which included hiking the Badlands in South Dakota, touring Williamsburg, VA and Chattanooga, TN, and falling out of a kayak into a Kentucky river.

Mary Margaret loved to travel with family and friends. She loved tennis, with highlights including playing on an ALTA tennis team in her 60s with her daughter Charlotte and daughter-in-law Cynthia, and trips to Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. She enjoyed playing golf with her friends and grandchildren. In her later years, her favorite hobby was playing duplicate bridge.

People loved Mary Margaret for her kindness and generosity, and especially for her unique sense of humor, always letting people know exactly what she thought.

Mary Margaret’s family wishes to extend its sincere thanks to everyone at Lenbrook and all the Menders caregivers for taking such wonderful care of her.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday, January 8, 2024, in the Kellet Chapel at Peachtree Church, 3434 Roswell Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30305.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to Daughters Against Alzheimer’s, ATTN: Susan Watson, 3215 Wood Valley Road, NW, Atlanta, GA, 30327 (or online at https://www.daughtersagainstalz.org/ ).