Norman Harris

Norman E. Harris, 73, of Brevard, passed away on June 23, 2013. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather who will be remembered and missed by many across the country. He was in every sense a gentleman - a gentle man in every way. He was not only intelligent but also had an emotionally intelligent interior.

He was born in Cadillac, MI., the son of Guage and Ann Harris. He held degrees from Michigan State University, Central Michigan University, and University of South Carolina.

He began his career as a teacher and throughout a varied career continued to teach at some level until his retirement. Early on, he traveled the nation for a textbook company making presentations to math and science teacher conferences. Later, he was a computer scientist for Bell Labs in New Jersey and supervised software engineers at Siemens Corporation in Lake Mary, FL.

He retired to Brevard in 1999 and never tired of the mountain beauty and the warm hometown feeling. He had been a volunteer at the Cradle of Forestry, the Transylvania County Chamber of Commerce, and the Festival of Trees. Though he spent his final years on an Alzheimer's unit he was always there with a pat on the shoulder, a back rub, or a cheerful dance for staff and residents. Along with his wife he was a member of Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church.

He was preceded in death by parents Guage and Ann Harris and bother Jim Harris. He is survived by his adoring wife Kathe Harris of Brevard, a daughter Dana Harris, stepchildren Clark Canine and Kimberley Stephens, and grandchildren Ella Baker, Gavin Harris, Johnathan Stephens, Zachary Stephens, and Meryl Canine. A recent greeting card said so much: "You should be called fun-pa instead of
grand-pa."

A Celebration of his life will be held at 3:00 PM Saturday, July 6, 2013 in the Chapel of Moore Funeral Home & Cremation Services with Reverend Keith Thompson officiating. The family will receive friends immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 3800 Shamrock Drive, Charlotte, NC 28215.

To leave a condolence for the Harris family, please visit "obituaries" at www.moore-fh.com .

Moore Funeral Home & Cremation Services are caring for the family.