Jean Ada (Goodfellow) Harris

A Classy, Smart and Congenial Lady of Faith

Jean Ada Goodfellow was born on July 9th, 1931, in Wayne, Alberta, Canada, the 9th of 13 children of Joseph Walter Goodfellow and Sophie Matilda Sjursen. She is survived by her sister Marjorie Grace Olbrich, her brother and sister-in-law William (Bill) and Joan Goodfellow, her six children and their spouses, Karen and Mario Nickl, Doug and Beverley Harris, Brad and Janina Harris, Richard and April Harris, Steven and Becky Harris, and Barbara and Camron Comish. At the time of her passing Jean had 26 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren.

Jean was raised in a musical family where everyone sang and played instruments. Family reunions were filled with fiddle tunes, guitar riffs, yodeling, and multiple part harmonies. Jean was an accomplished singer who cherished various musical genres, especially the crooners and the sacred hymns. She was also an athletic and competitive softball player, often catching line drives with her bare hands.

As a young woman, Jean met Richard Henry Harris at the Rainbow Ballroom. They were inseparable from their first night together. He was captivated by her red hair and vivacious personality, and she was impressed with his beautiful cream and salmon-colored car and his man about town savoir faire.

Religion was important to both Jean and Richard. They converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after studying the restored gospel with missionaries and were baptized on April 21, 1956. They married a week later on April 28th in Hamilton, Ontario. They were subsequently sealed to each other in the Salt Lake City Temple on August 18, 1958. 

Jean and Richard raised six children and traveled extensively, moving frequently due to Richard's career with IBM. Jean maintained an immaculate home, became an exceptional cook, and taught the gospel to her children and seminary students. She was a voracious reader, particularly interested in American history and biographies of the founding fathers.

Jean and Richard served a full-time mission for the LDS church in Congo, overseeing a variety of humanitarian projects. Once, she invited Congolese government officials to hear her speak at a church conference. Out of great respect and appreciation for her many contributions to their country, 30 officials attended the meeting. Of those, eight were later baptized.

Jean had a gift for making and keeping lifelong friends, always offering support and encouragement. She was always your best cheerleader. For more than 40 years she has cherished her ward family and neighborhood friends and hopes she will see them again in the next life.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 20, 2024, with a viewing prior from 9:30-10:45 a.m., at the Mueller Park Stake Center, 1800 E. Mueller Park Road, Bountiful, Utah 84010. There will also be an evening viewing on Friday, July 19, 2024, from 6:00- 8:00 pm at Russon Mortuary, 295 North Main Street in Bountiful.

Services will be streamed live on the Russon Mortuary Live Facebook page and on this obituary page. The live stream will begin 10-15 minutes prior to the services and will be posted below.