Gloria Gay Slone Harrison, of Palacios, Texas, entered life eternal Tuesday, September 9, 2014. She was born to Nellie Johnson Slone and Thomas Earl Slone February 1, 1929. She graduated from Palacios High School in 1946, in a graduating class made up entirely of young women because all the young men had signed up to fight in World War II. Her only sibling, Thomas Earl Slone Jr., was a casualty of the war, dying of leukemia believed to be the result of radiation exposure that he suffered as he served on a ship close to Hiroshima.
She attended Sul Ross University, and in 1948 she married George Lindsay "Bill" Harrison. They had an adventurous start in their marriage as they lived in the mountains outside Socorro, New Mexico, while Bill worked as a mining prospector. She remembered fondly those days, and for the rest of her life her idea of a perfect vacation was one spent in the mountains of New Mexico.
Gay was 5"1' of fierce determination. Most afternoons her routine included a drive out through her ranch, and there was often a rifle or shotgun in the backseat that she did not hesitate to shoot out her driver's window if the right varmint showed itself. She looked forward each year to the start of dove season, and had her gun ready to go and the fields scoped out to see where the most doves were.

She was that rarest of creatures, a superstitious Episcopalian. All of her children and grandchildren know the value and good sense of leaving through the same door you came in through, as well as rubbing the ceiling of your car if you drive through an underpass with a train moving overhead. She greeted the first day of each month with "Good morning, Mr. Rabbit," repeated three times before she said anything else, for good luck. She also surrounded her family with constant prayer, which she knew was more important than any superstition.Gay was a Girl Scout leader for her daughters' troops, a charter member of the Harmonie Club, a member of the Palacios Trail Riders Association, and was active in the Altar Guild at St. John's Episcopal Church. She enjoyed playing bridge and dominoes with her good friends. She was also an exquisite seamstress.
Gay loved baking desserts, and one of her specialties was chess pie, which she always had ready whenever the family got together. She made beautiful jams, jellies, and preserves, and she instilled in her daughters, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters a love for making those things as well. She loved fig preserves so much that she rooted many fig trees, passing them along so that there would always be a good supply for preserving.

Gay loved wiener roasts and bonfires, and always wanted to have her daughter Sandy's homemade ice cream at these events. She was a pyromaniac at heart, and enjoyed watching her son burn off fields in the late winter. She made one Christmas in particular extra special for her grandson Michael. When he was five years old, she promised him they would burn the Christmas tree once Christmas was over. To everyone's surprise and Michael's delight, she stuffed the tree into the fireplace and was overjoyed at the ensuing explosive roar.
In her later years, she worked hard to maintain her health through dialysis treatments. She watched her diet carefully, often forgoing food she liked because she knew she wasn't supposed to eat it. Her diligence in continuing the difficult routine of dialysis and watching her diet was hard for her, but her family appreciated the efforts that gave them more time with her.

As her health failed and she grew weary, her longing for family members who'd gone before her grew stronger than her ties here on earth. She spent her last lucid day enjoying a steady parade of family members and dear friends, and understood that she was seeing them here for the last time. She went to sleep and spent her last day surrounded by family, peacefully slipping through the bonds that kept her with us. After years of struggling with pain, she was blessed with a gentle passing.

Gay was preceded in death by her parents, her brother T.E., her great grandson Reid Claybourn, and her husband Bill. She is survived by her daughter Sandra and son-in-law Bill Miller, daughter Holly and son-in-law Clayton Claybourn, daughter Shelley and son-in-law Kent Mayfield, daughter Janet Harrison, son Slone Harrison, and son John and daughter-in-law Lisa Harrison. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Jason Miller, Jeff Miller and wife Tommie Lynn, Nellie Claybourn, Garrett Claybourn and wife Tera, Lindsay Mayfield, Wade Mayfield, Michael Harrison and fiancé Kenna, L.E. Steinmetz and partner Shelly Hoffmann, Tommy Steinmetz, Daniel Harrison, Ross Harrison and fiancé Hannah, and Slone Harrison. She is survived by great-grandchildren Zach, Adam, and Josh Riley, Abby Hoffmann, Blaze Miller and Reece Claybourn.

Visitation is Thursday, September 11th, from 6-8PM at St. John's Episcopal Church in Palacios. Celebration of Life services will be held Friday, September 12th, at 10:00AM, at the First United Methodist Church in Palacios, Texas. Her grandsons will serve as pallbearers. Honorary Pallbearers are L.E. Steinmetz, Nellie Claybourn and Lindsay Mayfield.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. John's Episcopal Church, the Palacios Community Medical Center, or the charity of your choice.