WILMINGTON — Laura Harriss Head, 93, of Wilmington, NC, passed away Thursday 27, 2024, peacefully at home.
Laura was the daughter of Meares Harriss and Laura Weddell Harriss.
She was preceded in death by her husband William Gwynne Head, Jr. “Billy” and husband Charles Robertson Vernon “Charlie”, her infant daughter Katharine Lillington Head, brothers Meares Harriss, Jr., Charles Johnson Harriss, John Weddell Harriss, Thomas Brown Harriss, sisters Katharine Iredell Harriss Byers and Winifred Harriss Stephenson, and niece Winifred Hoskins Stephenson.
She is survived by her sister Priscilla Cabell, children William Gwynne Head III and Laura Head Lambert (John), granddaughters Alexandra Morse (Walt Cartier) and Lilli Head, and great-grandson Grayson Morse Cartier.
Born in 1931, Laura went to New Hanover High School where she had a weekly newspaper column in the Star News called “The New Hanover Tattler” writing about who was seen together at football and basketball games, dating, parties, about any good gossip subject around town for high schoolers.
She graduated from Women’s College of North Carolina at Greensboro in 3 years with a degree in History. She was the first director of the Cape Fear area Girl Scouts and taught the girls sailing on her Snipe sailboat. Laura was a former president of the Wilmington Jr. League, Chairman of the Wilmington chapter of the Colonial Dames, and president of the Wrightsville Beach Association. Laura taught Sunday school for many years throughout her life. St. James Episcopal Church was her home base, and she devoted many hours as Christian Education Chairman.
Her children have fond memories of the whole family preparing many church breakfasts and constructing the HUGE Advent wreath at St. James. The family would gather the greenery at our grandparent’s home on Greenville Sound and went to the church for the construction. The wreath stayed up the four weeks of Advent and it was an amazing experience and a great family memory.
As a child, Laura enjoyed taking car rides with her father, riding the trolley, and relaxing at Wrightsville Beach. She had many loves, including sailing, dancing, speaking English properly, her proud family history, St. James Church, the Colonial Dames, preparing supper for a Carolina Yacht Club visit, seeing friends, and especially being called “Mimi” by young family members and special friends.
For many years she played tennis at Cape Fear Country Club with her best friends, Betsy Taylor, Bitty Reich, Cornelia Doss, and Phoebe Phillips.
Laura married “Billy” Head in 1955. Laura and her children moved to Raleigh, NC and from 1973-1977 she studied and received her BS in psychology. She also received her master’s degree in clinical psychology and practiced psychotherapy with her husband Charles Vernon MD “Charlie” for 40 years in their office “cottage” by the Wrightsville Beach drawbridge. Laura was a lifelong member of the Carolina Yacht Club. She was the first female member of the board of directors of The Surf Club and served as Vice President. She was instrumental in bringing new life to the club with all her original ideas including big band events, opening the membership to include young members, and for the design and construction of the beach Pavilion. The club thrived throughout her tenure.
A celebration of Laura’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 13, 2024, at St. James Episcopal Church, 3rd and Market Street. All are warmly welcome. A Committal in the St. Francis Memorial Garden and reception in the Great Hall will follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. James Episcopal Parish, 25 South 3rd Street, Wilmington, NC 28401.
