Charlotte Lee (Sturm) Harrison

Charlotte L. (Sturm) Harrison, 72, was born on December 22, 1946 in Wichita Falls, Texas to Charles Lee and Francis Bernice Sturm. On Saturday morning, March 9, 2019 she traded in her Hyundai Sonata for a pair of snow white angel wings and made her accent into heaven and is now reunited with her Mother and Father. Most of all she is sitting at the feet of and talking with her Savior, Jesus Christ. At an early age she moved around Texas with her parents while her dad worked in the Texas oilfields. She lost her Mom early in her childhood and was raised by her dad and in turn she helps in raising her younger brother, Jerry. In 1965 she graduated from Magee, MS high school and then went on to Copiah-Lincoln Community College for 2 years and then finally graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1968 with a BS in Elementary Education. She only got the teaching degree at the insistence of the other family members that were school teachers. She had been told all her life that all Sturm women must be school teachers. She was working as a hostess at a hotel/restaurant in Hattiesburg, MS when she met her husband William C (Bill) Harrison in Sept. 1968 and they were married on Feb. 5, 1969 at the First Presbyterian Church of Gulfport, MS. They lived on the Mississippi gulf coast while Bill finished his military obligation and then they moved back to East Texas, stopping in Longview temporally then on to Dallas where she was employed by Tension Envelopes in Ft. Worth and later at Moore Business Forms in Dallas. She continued to work in the Dallas area while Bill was in the Mid East and upon his return they relocated back to Longview. She began a career with SW Bell Telephone in Longview first as a cord board operator and then over to the new digital systems when AT&T moved into their new building. After 10 years service she retired from that SW Bell to open and run a BBQ restaurant/store in Gladewater. During the time that Bill was working in Africa on a Supply Boat, she got homesick for the Gulf Coast and vowing to never eat another BBQ sandwich, she moved back to Gulfport, MS until Bill returned home at which time they relocated to Washington, DC, then to Parkersburg, WV, then to Booneville, MO, then to Henderson, TX, and then to Denver, CO. It was while in Denver, Charlotte joined the Order of the Eastern Star and was active until their move to Baltimore, MD and then to Pottstown, PA. It was while in Pottstown, PA that she began a new career in the insurance business and went to work for US Liabilities Insurance, a Warren Buffet company. In 2005, Bill and Charlotte were looking at their retirement years nearing and decided to move back to Longview and settle down for good. Together they designed and had their retirement home built on 50 acres east of Longview and moved into the new home in October 2006 and enjoyed watching the deer and other wildlife (lately a herd of goats) that crossed the property. She was an expert at packing and moving a household with all of these moves and never broke a dish.

Charlotte had many talents that she had learned through the years, mostly being an expert seamstress. She sewed all of her and Bill's square dance outfits. In the early days when finances were tight, she made all of Bill's business suits for his work. She designed and made all of her formal gowns when Bill was a member of the Shriners and was attending the formal functions. She was a master at genealogy research. While living in Washington, DC she was able to trace the Sturm family back to Germany in the 1600's and the Taylor family back to the 1400's in England. She was an avid reader having amassed over 2000 books in her own private library in the home. Her biggest thrill was the abandoned cat that she took in and pampered for 21 years. She and this cat were inseparable and the cat gave back all the love she received.

Charlotte is survived by her husband Bill of Longview, her brother Jerry Sturm of Brandon, MS., her sister-in-law Cathy Hawbaker and Mother-in-law Irma Harrison Thompson of Romulus, MI., and sister-in-law Sherry Harrison of Hughes Springs, TX. She is also survived by many nephews and nieces here in Texas and in Michigan. There were no children born to this union. She is preceded in death by her parents Charles Lee and Francis Bernice Sturm and sister-in-law Susan Sturm.

Special thanks of gratitude go out to all of her doctors and caretakers that have tended to her needs over the past several years. Thank you Dr. Frase of Longview Oncology for your faithful monitoring of her cancer and keeping her cancer free for the past 10 years, Dr. Rodney Slone her PCP, Dr. Randy Crim her surgeon, and Dr. Glen Graves for keeping her arthritis in check. She had a saying that if you didn't have 'ologist' at the end of your name you didn't get a Christmas card. A big thank you to the staff of Highland Park Home Health for working to keep Charlotte active through all the pain. A very special thanks goes out to Ms Janet Munoz, LPN for her dedicated and caring attention she gave Charlotte each and every week. Charlotte considered her to be a good friend and confidant. Janet, she is no longer in pain.

Charlotte received Christ in her pre-teen years at the First Presbyterian Church of Magee, MS but became a member of Trails End Cowboy Church during its formation and then later at Trails End Cowboy Church Harrison County where she was very active until she was no longer able to get around. She served a lot of pull-pork sandwiches and nachos at the church arena events.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday March 13, 2019 from 6 - 8 pm at Welch Funeral Home on Judson Road in Longview. She was not one for a lot of fuss and only wanted a grave side service. Per her request a grave side service will be held at Memory Park Cemetery on E. Highway 80 in Longview on Thursday March 14, 2018 at 3 pm. Her favorite color was yellow so please wear something yellow (if you have it). Please come even if you don't have anything yellow to wear. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Trails End Cowboy Church Harrison County, P.O. Box 1073, Hallsville, TX 75650 or your favorite charity

      Ecclesiastes 12:6-7
         6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
          and the golden bowl is broken;
           and the wheel broken at the well,
         7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
           and the spirit returns to God who gave it.