ERMA JEAN HARRIS Obituary (1942 - 2024)

Erma Jean was the first-born child of Willie and Johnnie Mae (Parks) Thompson on April 15, 1942. Erma was affectionately known as Jean and grew up in Austin. Educated in the Austin Independent School District, Jean was a proud alumnus of the Old Anderson High School. She received Christ at an early age and was baptized at Ulit Avenue Baptist Church. She continued her faith walk by faithfully serving at the David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church under the late Rev. J. E. Obey. Later, she joined and served the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of the late Dr. G. V. Clark, until her health prevented her from attending. Jean had a love and admiration for kids, so much so that her early career began as a cafeteria monitor at Norman Elementary School for many years. Later, she was employed and retired from the State of Texas at the Texas Department of Health. Jean was a stern, yet loving disciplinarian to everyone's children. Back when community was community, she was the mother to many of the "Craigwood" families and friends. She was very strong-willed, opinionated, and always let you know what was on her mind. Because of her love for gospel music, specifically quartet being her favorite, you could find her attending all the musicals held in the city. Not only did she attend locally, but Jean also traveled along with Claudia Williams and the Voices of Christ on various out of town singing engagements. She would often speak of the times spent with Junior Franklin and the Mighty Clouds of Joy. While Jean had many talents and skills, her love was most expressed through her extreme passion for cooking and baking. Many Mt. Zion bus road trips were "blessed" with her famous buttermilk fried chicken and mouthwatering fudge brownies. You were truly loved and abundantly blessed if you ever tasted her specialties: fried chicken, fried pork chops, fudge brownies, buttermilk pies and "No milk, No water" pound cakes. She is predeceased by her parents, sister, Mary Alice Hardeman and grandson, Damontriae Jabrel Harris. Her life and legacy will live on through her children: Cassandra, Byron, Felicia, Roslyn, Kemya (Alexander) Dean and Cecilia; her grandchildren: Damian (Ashley), Darius, Kynadee and Brittany; her great-grandchildren: Phoenix, Priya and Pharrah. The love and memories of Jean will forever be carried by her brothers: George Thompson and John (Helen) Thompson; nieces, nephews, many cousins, family and friends. Her "adopted" daughters Sundee Smith, Connie Champ, Tysha Sharper and Kim Walker will always cherish the deposits of love she made to each of them. While the earthly bond with her special friends, Vistella McKee and Tanue White and sister-cousins, Delores Guillory and Joyce Burleson is now missing a link, eternal memories are now the glue that will keep them together.