Carol Lynn (Camp) Harris was born on December 12, 1953 in Pittsburgh, PA, the youngest of two daughters to Richard L., a World War II Veteran, and Virginia (Briggs) Camp. Carol died on May 15, 2019 in Charleston, SC and was pre-deceased by both her Parents losing her Mother to ovarian Cancer when she was 20 years old.
Carol married her husband of 44 years, Edwin “Eddie” Harris June 7, 1975 and they had two daughters, Ashlee born in 1980 and Leslie born in 1982. She became a grandmother in 2006 and had 3 grandchildren at the time of her death.
Carol began her professional career in the insurance business in 1977 after graduating from Grove City College in 1975. In 1980 she became a full-time stay at home Mother raising her two Daughters. She returned to work as a special education teacher’s aide and 1994 she achieved her first of two special education certifications from Millersville University. In 1998, she started teaching special education in the Oley Valley School District in Pennsylvania grades Kindergarten to Third grade eventually retiring in June 2015.
Following her dream to live at the beach, in June 2016 she and Ed moved to Johns Island, SC. Carol resumed her love for golf, tennis, bike riding and learned to play pickle ball. She enjoyed gardening, landscaping, collecting drift wood and conch shells at the beach, cooking, trying new foods, walking her dogs, brewery tours with her family and collecting trucker hats and kitchen gadgets. Carol appreciated traveling, hiking, anything Pittsburgh sports and country music. She volunteered as a tutor for students through Charleston County School District. She was an avid reader and the Treasurer of the Sea Island Book Club and as a retiree she worked at Indigo Books.
Carol was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer on December 2, 2015. She underwent a radical hysterectomy and removal of the tumor that affected her ovary, appendix and peritoneum. Following six months of chemotherapy she was thought to be in remission.
In August 2018 Carol’s Cancer returned and had metastasized to her liver requiring additional chemotherapy and insertion of a biliary drainage tube as the Cancer continued to spread. All treatment was paused in late December 2018 following her hospitalization with pneumonia. Carol spent the final months of her dash fighting pneumonia, pleural effusions, and a biliary obstruction; faced with weekly doctor’s appointments, multiple Emergency Room visits, painful medical procedures, and fatigue Carol elected to stop all treatment related to her Cancer on April 23, 2019, after talking with her family. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on May 15, 2019 at 5:00 a.m. from ovarian Cancer, malignant pleural effusion and a biliary obstruction.
Carol wanted to help others fighting their Cancer and she participated in a double-blind chemotherapy drug study trial, assembled care packages, decorative floral arrangements and knitted blankets for other Cancer patients.
She fought her battle with Cancer for 3 ½ years and during this journey she loved, cared for and helped others that were experiencing life with her. Anchors from Carol will epitomize who Carol was, what she personified through her life and her soul will live on through the Foundation’s work.
After the Dash…
Throughout Carol’s dash; it was her desire to seek out means in which she could help others in need. Being an organ donor was an important way for her to know that she would be able to save or improve the lives of someone else. Unfortunately, due to the cancer that infiltrated her body; she was unable to donate any of her organs except her corneas. Upon her death, her corneas were donated to Miracles in Sight. Carol would be proud that she was able to give the gift of sight and improve or restore the vision for someone who is struggling with a vision impairing eye disease.
