Madelyn Joyce Harris' Obituary
Madelyn was born in Kaw City Oklahoma, the youngest child of Boyd Otho Whitlock and Pearl McMillian Whitlock. She lived there until she went to college at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK. An active member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, she graduated a year early with a degree in elementary education. During college, she met her husband, Floyd Renfro Harris. Madelyn and Floyd married on May 24, 1959 in Ponca City, OK. Over the next several years, they lived in Oklahoma, Colorado, Missouri and Arkansas. They were both teachers, Madelyn teaching first grade and Floyd high school math and science. In 1961, they started a family. Madelyn continued to teach when Floyd went to back to Dental and then Orthodontic school at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Just before their fourth child was born in 1970 they settled in Fayetteville, AR and made it their permanent home.
Madelyn was a wonderful, encouraging mother and grandmother. She raised four children and eventually became the grandmother of six. She oversaw the workings of a farm as well as her husband’s medical practice. She was an avid gardener and loved to feed and watch the birds. She had a good eye for design and enjoyed contributing to the creation of several of their homes over the years. She tended to them with love and attention. She and Floyd enjoyed traveling; Madelyn kept delightful scrapbooks of their trips! They loved to entertain and threw many parties over the years where Madelyn was always a great host. Madelyn was patient and kind and resourceful. She loved and appreciated arts and crafts. She had a boundless sense of humor and a strong faith, even in the face of adversity.
Madelyn was an active member of Central United Methodist Church and was a part of the Asbury Sunday School class. She and Floyd hosted their annual Strawberry Social for many years.
In her later years, Madelyn lived in an apartment at Butterfield Trail Village and eventually in the Memory Unit there.
Madelyn is preceded in death by her husband and her parents as well as her brother Boyd Otho Whitlock, Jr. and her daughter Deborah Starr Harris Hildebrand.
Madelyn is survived by her children Tamara Sparrow (Greg), of Fayetteville, AR; Mark Harris (Tammi Shaddox), of Fayetteville, AR; son-in-law David Hildebrand of Fayetteville, AR; and Rebecca Harris (Rick Ehrstin) of Brooklyn, NY; grandchildren Taylor Sparrow (Jonathan Nesbitt), Lyndsey Starr Smith, Sophia Harris, Colin Harris, Braden Harris and Carolyn Hildebrand and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, March 10th from 6:00 PM until 8:00PM at Nelson-Berna Funeral Home.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM, Friday, March 11th at Central United Methodist Church with
Reverend Steve Pulliam officiating. Burial will follow at Fairview Memorial Gardens in Fayetteville.
The family requests memorial donations be made to the The Broyles Foundation which provides support for people caring for people with Alzheimer’s. https://www.broylesfoundation.org (479) 313-5079
The service will be livestreamed at https://centraltolifeclassic.online.church/
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