Tessie Harrison
March 26, 1925 - March 21, 2025
Obituary
Tessie Virginia Harrison was born Mar. 26, 1925 in Caryville, Fla. to John W. and Lonie (Birge) Hinson. She died March 21 at Memorial Regional Hospital South in Hollywood, Florida of pneumonia.
Tessie moved to Gulf Hammock Florida at age 5, a small rural town where she learned to appreciate the wonders of nature. Her parents were hard-working people who taught her that life is full of goodness and love despite hardships. As a girl she enjoyed elementary school in Gulf Hammock and never lost her love of learning. Her curiosity about how things work and why did not fade.
She graduated from Bronson High School and married Clyde B. Harrison in 1943. They divorced but as is not uncommon in the south, remarried in 1961 before divorcing a final time. They had two daughters, Sue M. and Cynthia T.
During her marriages she lived in Gainesville, Chiefland and Panama City. She then returned to Chiefland where her parents had moved and took care of them in their later years. After their deaths she remained in Chiefland where she was more often known by her middle name, Virginia.
She worked as a waitress in Gainesville and did layout at the University of Florida Press. She and Clyde had a caf in Chiefland, the City Grill, in the early 50s. She was a dental assistant for Dr. Hale in Gainesville and Chiefland; retail clerk/cashier at Bill Wynns Rexall Drugs; and receptionist in Dr. Jack Manns chiropractic office in Chiefland.
She found good friends and something to smile about wherever she was. She had many close friends but her double first cousin Mable Tummond was a special best friend. People remember Tessie for her quick smile and sometimes offbeat sense of humor. She could always be counted on to help a friend or neighbor in need and rarely asked for anything for herself. She was devoted to her family, never wavering in her support of them.
In Chiefland, she could frequently be found in her yard, face flushed from exertion, pushing around a cart full of leaves and branches that were always coming down from the giant oaks, transplanting azaleas, or cutting back palmettos. She found pleasure in simple things like burning leaves or cleaning the gutters with a homemade device made of a cane fishing pole and piece of bent wire. She delighted in keeping her house and yard nice and was always an avid reader. She sewed, put up vegetables, was active in the church, and loved to drive around to look at the world.
She spent 17 of her later years in Geneva, Florida where her daughter, Cynthia had built her a house next to her own. She then moved to a cottage behind Sues house in Fort Lauderdale. Though her body tired with the years, her mind remained sharp and inquisitive. She continued to keep flowers in pots and bird feeders. Cardinals were her favorites.
She attended the Hardeeville Baptist Church in Chiefland for many years and in later years watched Sunday services on TV when she could no long go in person.
Preceded in death by her sister Megan Vermont Hinson Hicks, she is survived by her daughters, Sue Harrison of Fort Lauderdale; daughter Cynthia Harrison of Cedar Key, Fla.; a nephew Gregory Wilkerson of Tampa; a niece Judith Gelwix of Dallas Texas; several great nephews; a large number of cousins, and many dear friends.
Funeral services will be at Knauff Funeral Home in Chiefland on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at 1PM a visitation will be held one hour prior. Burial will follow at the Chiefland Cemetery.
Tessie moved to Gulf Hammock Florida at age 5, a small rural town where she learned to appreciate the wonders of nature. Her parents were hard-working people who taught her that life is full of goodness and love despite hardships. As a girl she enjoyed elementary school in Gulf Hammock and never lost her love of learning. Her curiosity about how things work and why did not fade.
She graduated from Bronson High School and married Clyde B. Harrison in 1943. They divorced but as is not uncommon in the south, remarried in 1961 before divorcing a final time. They had two daughters, Sue M. and Cynthia T.
During her marriages she lived in Gainesville, Chiefland and Panama City. She then returned to Chiefland where her parents had moved and took care of them in their later years. After their deaths she remained in Chiefland where she was more often known by her middle name, Virginia.
She worked as a waitress in Gainesville and did layout at the University of Florida Press. She and Clyde had a caf in Chiefland, the City Grill, in the early 50s. She was a dental assistant for Dr. Hale in Gainesville and Chiefland; retail clerk/cashier at Bill Wynns Rexall Drugs; and receptionist in Dr. Jack Manns chiropractic office in Chiefland.
She found good friends and something to smile about wherever she was. She had many close friends but her double first cousin Mable Tummond was a special best friend. People remember Tessie for her quick smile and sometimes offbeat sense of humor. She could always be counted on to help a friend or neighbor in need and rarely asked for anything for herself. She was devoted to her family, never wavering in her support of them.
In Chiefland, she could frequently be found in her yard, face flushed from exertion, pushing around a cart full of leaves and branches that were always coming down from the giant oaks, transplanting azaleas, or cutting back palmettos. She found pleasure in simple things like burning leaves or cleaning the gutters with a homemade device made of a cane fishing pole and piece of bent wire. She delighted in keeping her house and yard nice and was always an avid reader. She sewed, put up vegetables, was active in the church, and loved to drive around to look at the world.
She spent 17 of her later years in Geneva, Florida where her daughter, Cynthia had built her a house next to her own. She then moved to a cottage behind Sues house in Fort Lauderdale. Though her body tired with the years, her mind remained sharp and inquisitive. She continued to keep flowers in pots and bird feeders. Cardinals were her favorites.
She attended the Hardeeville Baptist Church in Chiefland for many years and in later years watched Sunday services on TV when she could no long go in person.
Preceded in death by her sister Megan Vermont Hinson Hicks, she is survived by her daughters, Sue Harrison of Fort Lauderdale; daughter Cynthia Harrison of Cedar Key, Fla.; a nephew Gregory Wilkerson of Tampa; a niece Judith Gelwix of Dallas Texas; several great nephews; a large number of cousins, and many dear friends.
Funeral services will be at Knauff Funeral Home in Chiefland on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at 1PM a visitation will be held one hour prior. Burial will follow at the Chiefland Cemetery.
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