by Thomas Elmore Obituary, Death – Thomas Elmore was the seventh and final child to be born to Joe Harris and Permelia Hurd Harris in Washington County, Texas. He was the youngest of six girls and three boys. Ruby, both of his parents, and every one of his siblings passed away before he did. His wife. He received his education at one of Washington County’s public schools. Donald Ray Harris was the only child to come from Deacon Harris’s marriage to the woman he had loved from childhood, Ruby Anderson, which took place in the early 1940s.
During World War II, Deacon Harris bravely served his nation in the United States Army as a member of an Engineering Battalion. He was awarded a number of medals and citations, such as the Europe, Africa, Middle East Campaign Medal with two Bronze stars, the Asiatic Pacific Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Victory Ribbon, and two Overseas Service Bars. Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio was the location of both his enlistment and his departure from the military. At the time of his passing, he continued to be an active member of the V.F.W. Post 4476 in Taylor.
Deacon Harris, who was still a young man at the time, joined the Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Taylor, Texas, shortly after completing his stint of duty with the United States Army. He was baptized by the late Reverend Hosea Dolphus, who presided over the church at the time. In 1982, Deacon Harris received his deacon ordination and was soon after given the position of Chairman of the Deacon Board. In addition to those roles, he was the chairman of the Trustee Board, sang in both the male chorus and the senior choir, was a teacher for both the brotherhood and the Sunday School, and tirelessly served his church until his health began to deteriorate.
It is common knowledge that Deacon Harris spent his whole working life in the railroad industry. He spent a lot of years working as a railroad foreman. The majority of his 41 years of service in the railroad industry were spent working for the Missouri Pacific Santa Fe Railway, which is no longer in business. Even though his job required him to travel on occasion, he never failed to find a way to stay in touch with both his family and the community at Mount Calvary.
Even when he retired, he continued to be an avid railroad fan, and despite the fact that his health was deteriorating, he constantly checked his watch (which was railroad-approved, of course) to see if the trains were operating according to schedule. It should come as no surprise that he also criticizes their efforts to determine whether or not they met the “appropriate standards.”
