Shirley Harris

CHARLESTON - Shirley Speed Harris, 91, beloved wife, precious mother and grandmother was carried away by angels into the presence of her Lord and Savior on June 20, 2025, at her home surrounded by her loving family.

Shirley Elizabeth Speed was born April 7, 1934, the eleventh of twelve children to Fred and Edna Speed of Bradford. She was raised in Bradford and met Richard Harris, the love of her life as a teenager. They were married on August 28, 1950 and have resided in Charleston almost 75 years.

Shirley was predeceased by her parents, eleven siblings, and her darling granddaughter, Victoria. She is survived by her adorning husband, Richard; five children, Steven Harris and his wife, Kathryn, Deborah and her husband, Albert Libby, of Charleston, Cynthia and her husband, Scott Smith, of Corinth, Karen and her husband, David Silverman, of Quincy, Massachusetts, Rachel Booker and her husband, Donald, of Garland and special niece, who she loved like a daughter, Peggy Trask Kimball. God blessed her with fourteen grandchildren; Andrew, Kara, Katie, Tony, Jessica, Gabriel, Sara, Cameron, Amanda, Rebekah, Caleb, Ashley, Alexandra, Victoria and many great and several great-great-grandchildren, many much loved nieces and nephews, as well as her dear friend, Phoebe Nylund.

Shirley and Richard accepted Jesus Christ very early in their marriage and served Him faithfully at the Bradford Baptist Church. Her legacy of love is reflected in the lives of her family. Her husband, children and grandchildren feel that she exemplifies the virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31.

The family wishes to express their sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the hospice workers of Northern Light Home Care, who were a godsend to them in Shirley's final days.

There will be a Celebration of Life at 3:00p.m., Friday, June 27, 2025, at Bradford Baptist Church, 421 Main Road, Bradford. Gifts in her memory can be sent to Bradford Baptist Church C/O Scott Smith, 30 Ridge Road, Corinth, ME 04427. Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com.