Kimberly Sue Harris (maiden name Gaines) was the most extraordinary, strong, and inspirational woman in my life. She was a loving daughter and sister, a beloved wife, and my mother. Kimberly was born on May 8, 1966 to Elaine and Larry Gaines in Syracuse, New York. She grew up with her younger sisters Dion and Stacy in Northern Syracuse. A diligent and hard-working student, she excelled in her classes and entered State University of New York: Brockport with enough credits to skip her freshman year. She knew since she was young that she wanted to be a teacher, and she worked tirelessly towards that goal. Mom told me that when she graduated, she had offers from several different school districts on the Eastern seaboard, but for reasons she couldn’t explain at the time, she chose to work for the Prince George’s County Schools in Maryland. The reason why soon became apparent to her at new teacher orientation when she met a young man named Edmund Harris. After sitting next to each other all day, they got ice cream, and he walked her out to her car and told her that she had a flat tire. Less than a year later, Edmund and Kimberly were married at St. Mary’s Landover Hills on August 13, 1988. A year later, on June 1, their first child Erika Kimberly—me—was born. As both Mom and Dad said, they had so much fun with me that only a little over a year later, they had their second child, Sara Elaine. Mom and Dad survived the heartbreak of loosing their third child, Jessica Taylor, in stillbirth two years after Sara’s birth.
Though I didn’t always recognize it, Kimberly was a wonderful mother. She worked tirelessly as a teacher to help every student that entered her classroom each year. She gave up so much so that Sara and I could ice skate competitively throughout our childhood, but she never made it seem like a sacrifice. All she gave us was love and support—even though sometimes it was tough love—and that was reflected in all aspects of her life.
The past ten years, Kimberly was a member of the Southern Maryland Concert Band and the Flute Choir of Southern Maryland. She overcame immense physical and medical obstacles to become more fit and start competing in multisport events, especially duathlon and triathlon.
A year and a half ago, we got the horrible news that she had triple negative stage 3 breast cancer. Not letting that beat her down, Mom went ahead and qualified for the duathlon World Championships in Penticton, Canada. She was named a USA Triathlon ambassador by Team USA. One of the last things she did was speak at seminar hosted by the DC Triathlon Club. Though cancer ultimately took her, Kimberly Harris never gave up. She kept preserving through to the end, and ultimately, she passed away in her sleep while holding her husband’s hand, with her daughters and her sister with her, on the morning of February 25. Kimberly Harris touched so many lives, and her strength will live on through all who had the privilege to meet her. I love you, Mom.
