Ada Loyce Harris, 86 years young, died peacefully in her sleep on September 23, 2010.
Ada Loyce was the eighth of nine children, born August 5, 1924, in Mangham, LA to Charles and Ada Smith. She grew up in Depression-era Louisiana, and learned early about the value of hard work and being content with little. And despite the challenging times, Ada Loyce grew up to be an optimistic, can-do person. When she was 24 she met, fell in love with and married Millard Harris.
They had three children, Henry, Patrick and Jim, and Ada Loyce juggled motherhood while at the same time building a career as an office manager and notary public.
Ada Loyce was also an avid fisherman, even though she refused to learn to swim and was always afraid of the water! She and Millard eventually retired and moved to Lake Bruin in St. Joseph where they filled their days fishing and enjoying life on the lake. After Millard died, Ada Loyce moved to San Juan Bautista, CA to be closer to family. She lived in San Juan for many years and was an active member of Rolling Hills Community Church in Hollister. She was especially drawn to working with the children, who all loved and appreciated “grandma.”
Ada Loyce was truly one of a kind, and her humor and love of life will be missed.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Millard, and her son, Jim. She is survived by her brother, James, in Washington, her son Henry and his wife Lauren in San Juan Bautista, her son, Patrick in New York, three grandchildren, Brooke and her husband Darrin, Joshua and Melissa, and two great-grandchildren, Sydney and Molly.
A celebration of life will be held at Mars Hill (610 San Benito, Hollister) on Sunday afternoon, October 17, 2010, at 3:30 P.M.
