Jean Harris (nee Parten)

Roma Jean Harris (nee Parten) was born in Paris, Tennessee on August 8, 1938, and passed away peacefully on December 31, 2024 at Brookdale Senior Living surrounded by her loving family. 

Celebration of Life will be held 11 a.m. Friday, January 3, 2025 at McReynolds-Nave & Larson Funeral Home with Dr. Ronny Raines officiating. Burial will follow at Resthaven Memorial Gardens.

The family will receive friends on Friday from 9 a.m. until the hour of service at the funeral home.

Roma Jean was preceded in death by her parents, Velma (Polly) Moody Parten McGowen and John William (Willie)Beasley Parten as well as her husband, James Harris in 1997. 

Roma Jean is survived by her brother, George Robert “Bob” Parten (Bonnie) Bellingham WA, her cousin, Mildred Carroll, Apex NC. She is also survived by her daughters, Denise (Kirk) Hemingway, Kim (Larry) Gillespie, Shannon (Jonathan) Blackwell, and Elizabeth Harris. Beloved grandmother to Christina McCormick, Michelle Hernandez, James Blackwell, Kara Moore, Jacob Day, Sage Gillespie, Abby Day, Hannah Pond and five great grandchildren, her niece Belinda Parten and nephew, Billy Parten, her friend, Jean Massey, and her beloved dachshunds, Gretchen and Heidi.

Roma Jean was named after two sisters that died in a fire in Nashville. In her early years, she spent weekends with her cousin, Mildred Carroll, picking dewberries and fishing. Roma Jean almost drown and was saved by cousin, Mildred. She met James Harris at the Jamatchi Club on Fort Campbell, Kentucky. She knew he was the one, when James defended her when another man took her glasses at a dance. They were married in 1960 until his death in 1997. He served in the United States Army where they traveled to different countries, ultimately being reassigned to Fort Campbell Kentucky and the close town of Clarksville, Tennessee which became their home. She started Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) school in 1975 and after completion of the license, she enjoyed her career as a triage nurse in the Emergency Room of Clarksville Memorial Hospital (Tennova) where she retired 22 years later. After retirement, she traveled to different countries. She also enjoyed reading her Bible and doing crossword puzzles. And if you couldn’t reach her by phone, she was likely watching her favorite daytime soap operas like As the World Turns or western shows like the Rifleman. She had a love for animals and took in any stray that found their way to her. She loved Pepsi and had a sweet tooth for little Debbie snack cakes and chocolate candy. Roma Jean was also a member of Little West Fork Baptist Church for many years.

Over the last 2 ½ years, she was compassionately cared for and loved by the incredible staff at Brookdale Senior Living. They made her life so much richer and fuller. A thank you would never be enough to show our appreciation for them. 

In lieu of flowers and donations, memorials can be made to: Clarksville Montgomery County Animal Shelter,616 N Spring St. Clarksville TN, 37040.