SALISBURY — Jane (Merryweather) Harris, a Salisbury resident for 63 years, died peacefully Oct. 18, 2010, at Sharon Hospital, surrounded by her family. Mrs. Harris, 88, was the wife of David Farnum Harris for 61 years, until his death in 2004.
Mrs. Harris was born Feb. 19, 1922, in Denver, Colo. She was the daughter of Margaret Owen (Dorsey) and Weir Orford Merryweather. She was raised in Denver and attended Bennett College in Millbrook, N.Y. Mrs. Harris and her husband spent many of their summers at a second home on Fishers Island, N.Y.
Mrs. Harris enjoyed using her many creative talents. As an active member of the Millbrook Garden Club, she especially enjoyed preparing flowers for St. John’s Episcopal Church in Salisbury and the Fishers Island Club. Mrs. Harris was the first woman elected to serve on the board of governors of the Fishers Island Club and for many years was an active member of the Society of the Colonial Dames of America. As a local entrepreneur, Mrs. Harris was a co-owner of The White Hart Inn in Salisbury.
Mrs. Harris was most devoted to supporting her husband’s philanthropic efforts and spending time with her family, considering raising her three children her most satisfying achievement.
Survivors include her children, David Farnum Harris Jr. of Salisbury, Gwendoline A. Harris Milliken and her husband, Seth, of Salisbury and John Montgomery Harris and his wife, Kathryn, of Manchester-by-the Sea, Mass., and their three children, Dorsey Harris Miller and her husband, Douglas, Kathryn Houghton Harris, and John Montgomery Harris Jr. She is also survived by her sister, Anne Merryweather Close, and her husband, Edward, of Littleton, Colo.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, Oct. 29, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Salisbury. The Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home in North Canaan is in charge of arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Salisbury School Annual Fund, 251 Canaan Road, Salisbury, CT 06068 or the Heritage Fund of the Millbrook Garden Club, 18 Grandview Lane, Sharon, CT 06069.
