Palestine, Texas - A funeral service honoring the life of Janis Dell Redding Harris will be held at Evangelistic Temple on Thursday, June 5th at 2:00pm. Janis was called home to be with

the Lord on Monday, June 2nd, 2025. She was born on January 19, 1951, in Palestine, TX to Joe Dell and Nancy Mae Redding. She attended Palestine High School where she shined on the stage as an actress in theater and shined on the sidelines as a varsity cheerleader. While selling movie tickets at Heck's Drive-in for a cheerleader fundraiser one night, she walked up to a car to ask if they wanted to buy one. Driving

that car was Larry Harris, who said, "I'll buy one if you go to it with me." That date eventually led to a beautiful marriage that lasted 55 years and a legacy that will continue for many years to come.

Not long into that marriage, with one baby in tow and another on the way, they moved to Amarillo where Larry began his career in land development. Not knowing anyone there, she decided to go to church at Paramount Baptist Church one Sunday. Even though she was raised in church, this was the first time she heard about having a personal relationship with Jesus. Sensing the Lord was calling her, she surrendered her life to Him and spent the rest of it falling more in love with Jesus and allowing Him to use her in amazing ways.

From Amarillo, with a young son and baby daughter, they moved to Dallas for a few years and then to Tyler, settling down there for 14 years, during which 2 more boys were added to the family. Janis devoted her life to serving and loving her family with excellence, being a living example of the grace and love of Jesus. The love she exuded

was so big, it spilled out beyond her family to anyone she encountered. She opened the

doors of her home to all the kids in the neighborhood, loving on them like they were her own.

In 1990 they moved back to Palestine. During a time of financial struggle, they leased a

70 acre plot of land where they planted cucumbers, cantaloupe, sweet corn, and watermelon, selling it to local markets and at stands on the side of the road. Even though the work was hard, Janis cherished this time spent with her family working in the

field and all the people she got to meet while selling her produce. In the years that followed, she would always talk about those days as some of the best of her life.

For 30 years she served her family in her home, but once her four kids were out of the house, she joined Larry in his business, where they became a formidable team, building a successful real estate agency together.

Janis had a passion for teaching women the Word of God. She led Bible studies in her home with teenage girls, taught adult Sunday School classes, Wednesday night

women's Bible studies, and helped start the Women's Ministry at her church, Evangelistic Temple, which is still going strong today. The impact she had on the lives of thousands of people cannot be overstated. Everyone who knew her encountered the kind of love and grace that can only come from God, the kind that changes people. She

never spoke a bad word about anyone, always focusing on the good. She was a comforter, an encourager, a mentor, and a prayer warrior for so many. When she sees

from heaven, all the lives she impacted for the kingdom of God, she will be amazed.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a daughter, Faith Harris, who

never got a chance to live in this world, but her momma always looked forward to seeing in the next. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Larry Harris, who served her with excellence and self-sacrifice; son, Jason Harris and his wife Carol; daughter, Carri Welborn and her husband Ty; son, Clint Harris and his wife, Reagan;

son, Cody Harris and his wife, Taylor; brother, Larry Bo Redding and his wife, Nancilea; cousin, Pat Redding, one nephew, one niece, and 14 grandchildren she loved with all her heart and who will always cherish her as the best 'Ninny' in the world.