Tessie Bell Harris

Tessie Bell Harris was the youngest child of Sammie and Chesteen Brooks who had two older children, T.A. and Minnie Mae Brooks. She was born in Pittsburg, Texas where she grew up and attended grade school at Center Point and high school at Frederick Douglas High School. After graduation in 1950, she married David Harris and relocated to Dallas, TX and then to Pasadena, California and then back to Dallas, TX where she remained until her death.

Tessie did domestic work most of her life which allowed her to serve and influence others of different walks of life. She formed many lasting friendships with her former employers. Tessie loved to travel and fish. She liked touring different places in the United States and was blessed to do so until her health declined. Fishing was her hobby and she did it frequently. She loved her family and was always there to help them when needed. Her companion for many years was Toby, her cat. She loved him dearly and considered him as her second child.

Her family’s home church, Union Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Pittsburg, Texas, is where she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and where she was baptized at an early age. Since she always made it a point to unite with a local church whenever she relocated, she united with several churches during her lifetime. Before her health begin to decline, she was serving as a member of the True Believers of Christ Community Church. She loved to sing in the choir and work in food service at church. She is also one of the founding members of the Pleasant Grove Community Baptist Church that was established in April 1990.

She formed many good friendships during her life. A few of those special friends are: J. B. Douglas, Leola Moulton, Gladys Hamilton, John Thomas, Ms. Pearlie and The Crownover Family.

Preceding her in death are her husband, David Harris; mother and father, Sammie and Chesteen Brooks; brother and sister-in-law, T. A. and Beatrice Brooks; sisters Minnie Mae Brooks Askew, Vinnie Jordan; brother Johnny Rogers; nephew Gregory Brooks and several uncles, aunts and cousins that were very special to her.

Those who will miss her the most are her daughter, Ida Keller (Earnest); grandsons Edjuan Keller (Octavia) and Earnest Keller, Jr.; great-granddaughter A’laila Sharnell Keller; sister Winnie Harris; sisters-in-laws Annie Bell Johnson and Corine Mabrey; brother Larry Neal (Cheryl); nieces Phyllis McClain (Gregory), Kathaleen Dunn, Carolyn Smith; nephews L. T. Brooks (Candice), Thomas Brooks (Jocelyn), Stanley Brooks, Reginald Brooks (Lafondra), Melvin Askew and a host of great-nieces and nephews, other relatives and friends.

Special thanks to the Linda Kate, Golden Acres Living and Rehabilitation Center and the Visiting Nursing Association staff who took very good care of Tessie when her health began to decline.