Arline Harris

Arline Joan Basinais Harris of Dilley, passed away on August 7, 2022 at Frio Rehab and Nursing Home in Pearsall.

She was born on August 16, 1931, in Cleveland, Ohio to Nina Mae (Godfrey) and Edwin Century Basinais.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church in Dilley.

Arline Harris graduated from Fordsam High School in Dearborn Michigan. She was an accomplished singer and loved teaching kids how to sing. She led the youth choir at the Methodist church in Dilley and also the 4-H Share the Fun Group.  She worked at Renoir Oil Company in Corpus Christi before moving to Dilley. She ran the family egg farm operations while Fred sold and delivered eggs daily from Dilley to San Antonio. She loved to play bridge, sing, paint, and make ceramics. She loved her church in Dilley and all the friends she had made in Dilley. When her husband passed away she took over his role as a director on the board of Valley Telephone Coop until she was no longer able to perform her duties. She also loved to bowl and was in a league at the Pearsall bowling alley. She and Fred formed a team with the Rikers, also egg farmers, named the Fowl Bowlers. After Fred passed away she bought cattle to raise on her farm. She formed a partnership with Kevin Dunn the last few years of her life and loved riding in his ATV around the farm looking at cattle. She loved to travel and traveled all over the United States with the phone company. She and Fred once went to Europe on a Euro Pass and visited numerous countries for several months. She took Sherry, Jeff, and Natalie Thiele and Tyler Harris to Ireland for a vacation. She and Fred bought a 5th Wheel Camper and traveled the Eastern part of the country visiting historic places on several occasions.  She loved to go to family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas each year with her extended families of Fred’s sisters. it was always a great time with so many nieces and nephews from the  Harris/Buckow/Freeborn/ and Schultz families. She had a funny sense of humor and dry wit always seeming to come up with unexpected one liners.  At 90 years of age she wanted to go fishing with Paul and Missy, reliving the times when the families would gather in Rockport for a couple of weeks each summer, so they took her to Port Aransas for a multi day trip. She caught a trout and was so excited about it but could only talk about the bigger fish Missy caught. She brought up that trip in conversation often.

In her later years she was invited to stay with her son and daughter in law on several occasions but refused; saying she never wanted to leave her home and her friends. Her main wish was to remain at her home in Dilley until her death. She almost made it. She was in the Nursing Home and Rehab for only 2 months before she passed.  When choosing a facility, she chose Pearsall Nursing Rehab Facility to be close to her friends so that they could come visit her often. And while she wasn’t a native Texan and often said that she hated it here; in the end the home she made and the friends she loved were the most important things to her. She loved Dilley and the people who live here. She would do anything she could for them and often did.

She is survived by her son, Paul Harris and wife, Melissa of Comfort; son in law, Jeff Thiele of Pflugerville; grandchildren, Miles Harris and wife, Sam of Schertz; Tyler Harris and wife, Kate of Indianapolis, Dakota Smith of husband, Derek of Boerne, Natalie Thiele of Beaufort, great grandchildren, Conner Harris, Stephen Harris, of Kalispell, Brandon Harris of Schertz, Summerlynn Harris of Schertz, cousin, Marilyn Chuha of Akron and numerous nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Fred Harris; and daughters, Nina Harris and Cheryl Thiele.