Called home by God, Boise’s Kathy Harris was a beautiful, caring soul who helped many

When a loved one is called back by their maker, especially when that call comes unexpectedly, our lives are extremely disrupted. A part of us is gone. We wonder what our world will be like from now forward. We question God: “Why so soon?” And we feel vulnerable.

The passing of Kathy Harris at 67 in July has shocked all those who have known her and been positively impacted by her beautiful, caring soul.

My wife and I met Kathy and Randy, her husband, almost 20 years ago when they invited us for dinner in their home, soon after they returned from Kenya, our native country. Kathy was at the time the president of the Bronco Athletic Association and was involved in the committee that selected me as the Homecoming grand marshal for the 2003 Boise State-Tulsa football game.

At that time, I served on the boards of several local charity organizations. I started hearing each board mention her name as a possible board member. She had a sterling reputation of being a doer with great connections. She served others with such a deep commitment, as if whatever she was doing was the only reason she was born.

Kathy played a significant role in my understanding that the mission of Caring Hearts and Hands of Hope was God’s work. After Kenyan representatives identify the needy children who qualify for high school but lack tuition, we randomly match them with potential sponsors. A student was brought to us to be sponsored in high school.

I met him on June 20, 2014. It was my first time seeing a teenager with a blue face, skin glued to his skeleton, having to stop to breathe after walking just two or three steps. He had a hole in his heart that could have been treated when he was young, but wasn’t because of poverty. I met with Kathy and talked about that boy, his proven academic potential and his heart condition.

As we were about to end the meeting, Kathy looked at me and said, “Randy and I will sponsor that boy. I too was born with a heart condition. I was operated on when I was young and I still go for checkups.” To this day, I still have chills when I think of the odds of choosing a boy in Kenya with a heart condition and matching him with a sponsor from Idaho, with a similar heart condition. That’s the finger of God!

That boy was assisted by well-wishers, many from Kathy’s connections, and at 16 years old, he was finally able to run a distance of 10 feet. Kathy and I called him and celebrated his victory over the phone.

A very thoughtful person, Kathy asked questions about people’s well-being. She had genuine interest in the welfare of others. Many are the times she would see news reports or read something about the struggles of African-Americans and wanted to know my experience and that of my family, wife and children.

Kathy loved her family, especially Jacob, her grandson. Soon after he was born, she asked me to get her a Swahili book. She attended every preschool and kindergarten function at Born to Succeed, my wife’s child-care and preschool center, where Jacob was a learner. Teachers loved her presence.

Kathy was a gift from God to this world. Many people’s lives are better because Kathy touched them. It is not possible to imagine how the world is going to be now that God has called Kathy home. There are truly no words that can fully describe the positive impact Kathy had on so many of us. I am eternally grateful that our paths crossed.

This story was originally published August 23, 2020 at 7:00 AM.