Lillian Abood Harris
July 26, 1927-Nov. 5, 2025
Walnut Creek, California

Longtime mid-peninsula resident Lillian Abood Harris passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by her children, on November 5, 2025, at the age of 98. Born in Belmar, New Jersey on July 26, 1927, Lillian was the third of four siblings born to Syrian immigrants. She graduated from New Jersey College for Women (Rutgers University) in Latin American Studies in 1949, later earning a Master’s in Spanish from San Jose State University. She taught Spanish and English as a Second Language in the Palo Alto Unified and Sequoia Union High School Districts, as well as at Stanford International House.

Lillian and her husband Frank B. Harris Jr. met at Asbury Park High School, married in 1949 and moved to Boston while he was completing his Ph.D. in Physics at M.I.T. They lived in La Paz, Bolivia with their infant daughter while he studied cosmic rays high on a mountain in the Andes. The two raised three children together, living first in Utica, New York, where Frank taught at Syracuse University. When Frank was recruited by Stanford Research Institute in 1958, they moved to the San Francisco Peninsula and never looked back. The couple spent their first five years in Menlo Park before moving into the home they had designed and built in the Golden Hills area of Portola Valley.

During her 37 years there, Lillian was active in the PTA and 4-H Clubs. She went to great lengths to support her children in pursuing their passions and realizing their potential even as she continued to pursue her own language studies and teaching career. She was also a wonderful cook and host, which inspired her children to follow in those footsteps. While her husband applied his technical prowess in start-up and enduring Silicon Valley companies, Lillian became interested in learning about high-potential innovations and bringing those insights to stock-market investing. As their children left the nest, Lillian and her husband were able to pursue their love of travel, visiting destinations such as the Iberian Peninsula, France, England, and Indonesia. Lillian’s fun-loving, competitive spirit drove her to become a Silver Life Master Duplicate Bridge player who greatly enjoyed traveling to national tournaments. She brought a delightful sense of humor, curiosity, style, warm smile, and twinkle in her eye to wherever she went.

Shortly after her husband died in 1999, Lillian moved to Oakland to be closer to her children, and later to Rossmoor, the retirement community in Walnut Creek where she lived her final 11 years. Toward the end, she was helped by excellent caregivers arranged by her children. She had a couple of serious health crises while there, but her determination and resilience carried her through. Up until her last few days, she enjoyed exercise classes, watercolor, cocktail parties, music performances, and bingo where her winning streak continued. Lillian is survived by her three children, Susan Harris of Walnut Creek, Lisa Harris of Seattle (David Wendel), and Frank B. Harris III of Oakland, and by two granddaughters, Tess Wendel of Seattle and Hannah Wendel (Gabriel Molton) of Los Angeles.

Tags: teacher/educator