Deborah Ann Harris

Deborah Ann Harris, daughter of the late Nathaniel Thomas Floyd and Emma Laura Floyd, was born on Friday, October 7, 1960, in Painter, Virginia. She graduated from Lake Forest High School in Felton, Delaware in 1979, and received an Associates degree in Commercial Arts from the Baltimore Institute of Commercial Art in 1983. Deborah, affectionately known as Ann, was the fourth of the five children of Nathaniel and Emma Floyd. Ann departed this life on Monday, December 7, 2020 at the age of sixty. In 1983, Ann completed her studies at the Art Institute of Baltimore and began her career as a commercial artist. She enjoyed creativity and artistic expression. At the start of her career, she worked for several graphic design agencies in Kent County, where she contributed to commercial projects for clients in the Chesapeake Bay Area. Ann painted murals, created arts and crafts, and designed apparel. One of her favorite original designs is displayed over the pulpit of her childhood church. Her work will live on. Ann comes from a family of entrepreneurs. She was a respected business woman in her community. In 1989, she and her sister founded, Top Notch Sewing Connection, a business which spanned over thirty years. In the community, it was affectionately known as “The Shop”. “The Shop” was a place of business and refuge, but it was also a place for connection, family, support, and celebration. Ann had a work ethic that never wavered—even as she battled a terminal illness in the final year of her life, she used her skills to stitch masks to keep people safe during a pandemic. “The Shop” will never be the same. In addition to her work as a seamstress, Ann was the co-founder of On-Point Catering Service. She loved to cook. Her family and friends always enjoyed her infamous chicken salad recipe. Ann began her walk with the Lord in her early youth and aimed to please God. At the age of six she joined Emmanuel Pentecostal Church of God in Camden, DE and remained a faithful member for thirty-five years. She later joined Immanuel Apostolic Church where she remained a faithful member for fifteen years. As a woman of faith and a philanthropist, Ann was an active and compassionate leader in her community. She devoted her life to helping others in need. Ann devoted her free time to taking children from her church community into nursing homes to work with the elderly. Young people were very near and dear to her heart. She spent time as a Sunday school teacher and youth ministry leader. She mentored young girls through her mentoring group, Daughters of Destiny. The young people she mentored were taught the word of God and learned how to provide hope and care for the neglected members of the community. In 2015, Ann was led to start the Tract Team Ministry. Her vision for the nonprofit organization included evangelistic outreach and offering food, clothing, counseling and spiritual support for struggling members of her community. Her ministry unified regional and national ministries, while reaching souls. In 2017 Ann was inspired to start a national day and in that same year the National Christian T-Shirt Day was established by the Tract Team Ministry. Her work in ministry will live on. As a sister, Ann was the peacemaker in the family. She valued family above all. She was a confidant, she was an encourager, she was honest and filled with integrity. Her siblings admired her wisdom, her strength, and her joyful energy. Her love was unconditional. She was the voice of reasoning with a gentle spirit. She had a unique relationship with all her siblings. On April 27, 1985, Ann married Curtis Harris Sr. and to this union they had four children. Ann was a virtuous woman and wife in every sense (Proverbs 31:10-24). She received favor for every moment from her husband, as when a king looks upon his queen (Ester 5:2). And her husband received favor from the Lord because of this “Good Thing” God had allowed him to find in his wife (Proverbs 18:22). Every moment of her life, Ann brought love, help, joy, strength, and encouragement to her husband, Curtis. It was a blessing to share such a wonderful life with a wonderful wife. Her husband’s love will live on for her, forever. Ann had four children, Curtis Jr., Courtney, Chelsea, and Christian, and a small army of adopted godchildren. She exemplified what it means to be a mother. She put her children’s needs and desires above her own. She was a strong advocate for her children’s education. Ann was active in her children’s school activities—open houses, parent-teacher conferences, field trips, graduations, college move-ins—whatever the occasion, mom was there. She taught and instructed and imparted wisdom into every child she met. She would often talk about the loss of her mother who passed at thirty-one years old, while Ann was only ten. Her mother’s passing left a deep impression on her spirit. But rather than becoming bitter, Ann channeled that tragedy and became the mother that she never had. She loved deeply. She loved hard. She loved effortlessly. She had a magnetic energy that made people want to be part of her life. She was the mother that every child wanted. Her family knew her as the ‘child whisperer’, because she had a unique way of reaching young people when others could not. She was a pillar in the community, and no matter how old or young you were, you could feel the motherly love shining through her. Her children knew that Ann was beloved by others. Over the years, many have called her godma or auntie or mother. There will never be another Mom Harris. Deborah leaves to cherish her memory, her husband of thirty-five years, Curtis Sr.; four children, Curtis Jr. (Kymberli), Courtney, Chelsea and Christian; four grandchildren, Curtis III, Cahari, Carrington and Channing; five siblings, Gloria (Kenneth), Evetta, Nathaniel Jr. (Veronica), Lorraine, Karen (Carl); three-step brothers, Phillip (Freida), Michael (Sheila), and Stacy; two sister/cousins Cynthia Floyd and Laverne Cubbage; three aunts, Mae Floyd, Ruth Major and Louise Floyd; and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, godchildren, and friends. Ann was preceded in death by her parents, Nathaniel Thomas Floyd and Emma Laura Floyd; a sister, Eunice Floyd; seven uncles; and five aunts. Lovingly Submitted, The Family

Deborah Ann Harris

October 7, 1960 - December 7, 2020