Lucille Harrison

Mrs. Lucille Warren Harrison, 90, of Blytheville, passed form this life Friday, January 8, 2015, at her home while surrounded by her family.

Mrs. Harrison was born on July 4, 1925, southwest of Osceola, near Keiser. She was the first-born child to George W. Warren and Lydia Ann Brown Warren.

She and her siblings worked in the fields from early childhood through their mid-teens. Though they worked during the fall, their mother "had school" every evening after they came in from the fields. When they joined their classmates in school each year after Christmas, the Warren children would be at or near the top of their classes.

Mrs. Harrison began fishing with her paternal grandmother when she was four years old and developed a passion for the sport that lasted a lifetime. She was a strong, athletic girl who loved the outdoors and played in the outfield on the Luxora school softball team.

She was valedictorian of her ninth grade class. The Luxora School District did not have a complete high school for black students. Fortunately, Mrs. Harrison was invited to live with relatives near Henning, Tennessee in order to complete high school at Lauderdale County Training School in Ripley, Tennessee. She graduated as valedictorian of her class.

After high school, Mrs. Harrison enrolled in Lemoyne College (now Lemoyne-Owen College) in Memphis, Tennessee. At that time, Lemoyne College had a policy of rewarding straight-A students with full tuition for any semester during which they maintained that average. She earned a large percentage of her college credits in that manner.

She was aggressively recruited by all the campus sororities. She chose the Beta Tau Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, was initiated in 1948, and was a dedicated and active member for over 65 years. It was also a very happy moment when she was chosen to be "Miss Lemoyne College of 1948".

Active on campus Mrs. Harrison was an inductee of the National Honor Society and held memberships in the Students for Democratic Action and the NAACP. She earned her bachelor's degree in biology from Lemoyne College and graduated summa cum laude.

Harrison did post-graduate study at the University of Missouri, Arkansas Teachers College, and the University of Southern California.

Mrs. Harrison classified teaching as a noble profession, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. She taught in the public school system for 40 years, with service in Victoria, Luxora and Blytheville in Arkansas, and Catron, Portageville, Hayti and Sikeston in Missouri. In addition to classroom activities, Harrison served as an officer in the mathematics division at Robinson Elementary School in Blytheville and she was a member of several teachers associations. She felt that she made a lot of difference and that teaching was her way of "giving back".

She was retired for over 30 years and spent most of that time fishing, traveling, reading and going on ocean cruises. She has traveled to three countries and 45 states, including Alaska. She enjoyed most sporting events, with her favorite being basketball. Mrs. Harrison was a person who loved animals and has had a large assortment of pets throughout the years. She also enjoyed flower and vegetable gardening. Her immediate surroundings and the entire area near her home were kept litter-free by her efforts in past years.

Mrs. Harrison was brought up in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, but later accepted the Baptist faith of her husband, the late W. B. "Bill" Harrison.

She is survived by her two daughters, Kelsey Harrison Griffin and husband John Jr., and Twyla Harrison;

One brother, Calvin Warren;

One sister, Gloria Warren Walter and husband Donald;

One granddaughter, Kyndra Griffin;

One grandson, John Griffin, III and wife Rebecca;

Numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives.

A wake will be held from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Friday, January 15, 2016. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 16 and will be preceded at 10 a.m. by visitation. All services will be held at Carter Temple CME Church in Blytheville. Burial will follow at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Blytheville.

Arrangements are by McDonald-Horne Funeral Home.