Obituary: Mae Elizabeth Harris

Mae Elizabeth Harris died April 8, 2013 at the Deseret Health and Rehab Center in Saratoga at the age of 95.

She was born January 24, 1918 in Coltman, Idaho and grew up in the Snake River Valley of Southeastern Idaho, where she attended Ricks College in Rexburg. She married Don Cole Harris on Oct. 31, 1939 in Pocatello, Idaho, and the marriage ended in divorce after 23 years. That was when Mae started her career in journalism as the society editor of the Idaho Falls Post Register. While there, she received a special invitation from the Department of Interior to join First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, for a three-day portion of her western tour. Mae traveled with an elite corps of White House press representatives, plus female reporters from many of the nation’s larger newspapers and representatives of major wire services.

Later, Mae moved to Salt Lake City, where she worked as a clerk in the City/County Building until her retirement. She loved to travel and made several trips to Alaska, and she also went to Guam, Japan, Panama, Thailand, and Mexico. Mae loved sports and made sure her children learned to golf, ski, and fish.

Mae is proceeded in death by her infant daughter Diann, her son Jeffrey Don, and four brothers. She is survived by her son Trent, of Salt Lake City, daughter Dawna Mae Erickson, of Saratoga, and three sisters. She has five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

An informal get-together will take place in her honor at the Deseret Health and Rehab Center this Saturday at 2 p.m. A memorial service will take place at a later date in Salt Lake City.