A. DEANE GREINER HARRIS

SPRINGFIELD- Visitation will be held from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday at Daniel Funeral Home in Lamar for Alvina “Deane” Greiner Harris, 88, Springfield, who died Saturday evening, May 9, 2018.

A graveside committal service will be held at Lake Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, 11300 St. Charles Rock Road, Bridgeton, MO 63044.

Condolences and memories may be shared at www.danielfuneralhome.net.

Survivors include her children, Mike Joyce and Shirley Beer, Pittsburg, Kan., Jim Joyce, Greensboro, N.C., Damon Joyce, Springdale, Ark. and Beth Joyce Young and husband Greg, Springfield; her precious grand and great-grandchildren, Ryan Joyce and wife Adallee and their daughter Lana Deane, Edmond, Okla., Bryant Young and wife Olivia, Springfield, Megan Joyce Owen and husband Jeremy and their sons, Davis and Fletcher, Springdale, Ark., Drew Young, Columbia, Mo. and Quinn Joyce and Emily Parker, Springdale, Ark.; a brother-in-law, Don Smith and many other relatives and friends.

Mrs. Harris was born July 21, 1929, in Barton County, to Opal E. and Joseph P.H. Greiner. She was reared by her mother and grandmother, Daisy Washburn, along with her siblings, Norma, “Bud” and Kathryn and extended family in a bustling, multi-generational home. She attended country school as a child and graduated from Lamar High School in 1947. During high school, she was a cheerleader and active in the Speech and Home Economics departments. Her huge extended family was then, and forever remained, extremely important to her. Many in the Lamar, Monett and Nevada areas named Washburn, Heim, Suschnick, Dermott, Crabtree, Stahl, Johnston, Sloniker, Smith and Gardner were beloved relatives.

Soon after graduation she married Floyd A. Joyce and to this union four children were born, Mike, Jim, Damon and Beth. Early in their marriage they lived in Springfield, El Dorado Springs and Kansas City and were active in church and family activities. In 1967 they moved back to Lamar where she was known as a stylish, talented, creative woman. She carried on her family’s cooking traditions and they will miss her curry, turkey and dressing, peanut brittle, English toffee, cheesecake and crescent rolls! She worked as activities director for Chastain’s Nursing Home, in-house interior designer for Community Lumber Company and bookkeeper at the Lamar Clinic. Throughout her life she was also the personal seamstress for innumerable area households, creating hand-tailored suits and shirts, dresses, pageant gowns, uniforms, costumes, custom drapes, etc. Her family was beautifully and lovingly dressed by her hands. She was active at First Baptist and Cornerstone Baptist churches, as well as several women’s clubs. Her green thumb and love of cats lives on through the rest of the family, too.

Later in life she married Leonard Gariss and then Jack Harris, both of whom preceded her in death. She dearly loved the Gariss and Harris families and acted as a loving aunt or grandmother-figure to their younger ones. Before Mr. Harris’ death, they moved to Webb City, where they established a close group of friends and were active in the First Baptist Church there. She spent the last few years of her life in Springfield, in order to be near her daughter.