Obituary of Laura Harrison

Laura McAnnally Harrison passed away peacefully on September 27, 2018.

Many will remember Laura’s kindness and empathy for others, her philanthropy, her love of beauty and gardens, and her warm and generous hospitality.

Laura grew up in Garden City, Alabama in the McAnnally family, with 6 older brothers and sisters.  There she met her future spouse Donald Harrison. She graduated from Hanceville High School and received a B.S. degree from University of North Alabama, then called Florence State Teachers College.

She married Don while he was attending medical school in Birmingham, AL  and worked as a secretary. 

Laura and Don lived in Boston, MA and Bethesda, MD while Don completed his medical training and they started their family. They moved to California in 1963 when Don accepted a position at Stanford University. In Los Altos, CA, Laura started her career as an active community volunteer.  In 1986 Laura and Don moved to Cincinnati, OH for Don to begin a new position at the University of Cincinnati.  Laura became known as a gracious hostess as she organized many parties and gatherings during the years of Don’s career in academic medicine.

In Cincinnati, Laura served on the pastoral care and fellowship committees of the Indian Hill Church. She served on the board of trustees of the Inter Parish Ministry and was a Stephen Minister, offering lay counseling during crisis. 

As chair of her chapter’s scholarship committee of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, Laura worked to secure thousands of dollars of scholarship funding for young women in higher education. At Laura’s alma mater, the University of North Alabama, Laura and Don gifted a beautiful plaza with a carved Italian limestone fountain, which now serves as a welcoming entrance and gathering spot for the campus community and city of Florence, AL. 

Harrison is survived by her husband of 63 years, Don; three children and their spouses, W. Douglas Harrison and Jama Greene, Elizabeth Harrison and Peter Hartzell, and Donna (Harrison) Marks and David Marks; and eight grandchildren: Ruth (Marks) Case, Jonathan Marks, Jordan Harrison, Emily Marks, Lily Hartzell, Abby Hartzell, Lenore Harrison, and Loren Marks.  She was much beloved and will be long remembered. 

A Memorial Service will be held at Indian Hill Church on October 27 at 3 pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Inter Parish Ministry of Cincinnati: 3509 Debolt Road, Newtown, Ohio 45244; e-mail: gail@interparishministry.org or to P.E.O. Scholar Award: P.E.O. Executive Office, Treasurer’s Dept., 3700 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA  50312  or online at https://donations.peointernational.org.