Donnell Ray Harris was born June 12, 1936 in St. Louis MO. He grew up in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis, with his parents, David and Jewel, and his older brothers, David and John. The family also welcomed a daughter, Ann, some years later.

Norma Ruth Stacy was born August 25, 1937 in Fredericktown. She lived with her parents, John and Ruth, first in Fredericktown and then in Flat River (now Park Hills), and her younger siblings, a brother, Joseph, and sisters, Barbara and Patricia. Upon graduating from high school Norma briefly attended Flat River Junior College, and then moved to St. Louis to get a job.

Donnell attended William Jewell College, and then enrolled in Central Seminary. At about this time, Norma took a job as church secretary at Webster Groves Baptist Church, which is how they met. A week or so later Don drove Norma home for a visit with her family and stayed for dinner. At the end of this encounter both of them knew that something special was growing between them. They married on June 1, 1959. They moved to Rochester, New York, so that Don could attend Colgate Rochester Divinity School, and Norma again took a position as a secretary. They made many lifelong friends at seminary.

From seminary Don became pastor at his first church, West Shore Baptist Church in Rocky River, Ohio. While there, they welcomed their daughter, Stacy Lynne, to their family. Their time in Ohio was wonderful and they made many friends. However, after 5 years, the family moved back to Rochester when Don took on the pastorate at First Baptist Church of Chili. The years here were wonderful, and in addition to making many friends, they welcomed a new addition to their family, a son named Stephen Donnell.

In 1975 Don accepted a new call to Montgomery Hills Baptist Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the family moved to a new home in Rockville. After a few years, Norma took a part-time job that allowed her to be home in the afternoon with her children. When the children grew older, she moved to the federal government, where worked as a secretary for HHS. However, she advanced quickly, and when she retired she had attained an executive level of 13 in the Grants department of NIH. Don was a member of the General Board of the ABC for 8 years, and would serve as President of the DC Baptist Convention in 1991.

Norma was a talented crafter, painting china, crocheting afghans and finding other outlets for her creativity. Donnell was a talented poet, and wrote several hymns, one of which was chosed to be the theme hymn for the ABC Biennial Convention. After retirement they both took up golf as well.

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Don retired first in 1997, after 23 years as pastor at MHBC. Norma retired 2 years later. They devoted themselves to family and volunteering, but especially to traveling in the US and abroad. In 2001 they made a fateful trip to Florida to visit friends and family and see the sights. While there they purchased a condo in Fort Myers. After a couple of years as “snowbirds” they bought a larger condo and moved to Fort Myers permanently. A few years ago, recognizing the increasing difficulties of Norma’s vision loss and Don’s memory lapses, they moved to Westminster Point Pleasant, a continuing care retirement community in Bradenton, where they lived until their deaths in 2023.

Don entered into Heaven with God on March 5, 2023, and Norma followed him on December 1, 2023. Don was predeceased by his parents and his sister Ann. He leaves behind his brother David Harris and wife Dinny, and his brother John and wife Lois, and his brother-in-law Dan Blankenship. Norma was predeceased by her parents and her brother Joe and sister Barbara Reichardt. She leaves behind her sister Patricia McCool, sister-in-law Beverly Stacy and brother-in-law Richard Reichardt and wife Heddy. In addition they both leave behind their children Stacy Clark (their son-in-law Stan having predeceased them) and their son Stephen and wife Michele Mukatis. In addition, they leave behind many nieces and nephews, and many devoted friends.

A memorial service will be held to celebrate their lives at Montgomery Hills Baptist Church in Silver Spring Maryland at 2:00 pm on Mar 16, 2024 with reception to follow at the church. A brief, private committal ceremony will be held in the morning at George Washington/Mt. Lebanon Cemetery in Adelphi Md. Floral tributes or memorial donations in their names may be sent to Montgomery Hills Baptist Church.

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