Obituary of Elizabeth A. Harris

The Greatest Generation lost another warrior on Thursday, April 22 2021.  Betty Harris, 98, passed away peacefully at the Hudson Park Nursing Center.  She was predeceased by her husband Jeremiah Harris and her parents Elizabeth and Harry Little. 

Betty grew up on the family farm in Colonie as an only child.  She was a graduate of Cohoes High School then went into banking, where she rose through the ranks into management. She retired from Manufacturers Hanover in the mid-eighties.

While her boyfriend and future husband fought World War II battles in the South Pacific as a marine, Betty served stateside in the Civil Air Patrol.  After the war, she married Jerry and they built their home on the family farm in Colonie and raised two wonderful children. She was the epitome of a proud Irish matriarch.

Her passions included gardening and travelling, especially to any ocean.  She loved visiting Saratoga Race Track and betting on the horses.  She correctly picked Onion to defeat the immortal Secretariat in 1973. 

After her retirement she moved to Clifton Park and remained active in the community.  She co-founded the widows support group for the Clifton Park Adult Community Center.

Anyone who knew Betty well, will remember a time when she came to their aid in a time of need.  If you were family or a friend, you knew she had your back.  She was strong willed and stubborn.  She was Barbara Stanwyck in The Big Valley. She was somehow both Edith and Archie Bunker molded into a single human being. She will be remembered.

She is survived by her daughter, Maureen Young of Clifton Park, her son Michael and his wife Jean of Nicholson, PA, her grandchildren, Dan Young, Jennifer McKinney (Cory), and Caitlin Hoffine (Dalton) and a great granddaughter, Nora Young.

Private Calling Hours and Funeral Service will be held at the convenience of the family in the Gordon C. Emerick Funeral Home, 1550 RT-9, Clifton Park, NY 12065 followed by her interment in private at Memory’s Garden in Colonie.

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