Harris Eugene Hubers

Harris grew up on a farm south of Pease, MN. He never met his older sister, who died from complications due to spina bifida shortly after her birth. He also had three younger siblings, one brother and two sisters. Growing up, Harris was responsible for milking cows, slopping hogs, and feeding chickens and collecting their eggs. He helped with harvesting oats and corn, which were used for feeding the farm's cattle in the winter. Haying time involved baling, then picking the bales up and putting them on the conveyor to the hayloft. Harris and his family were members of the Christian Reformed Church of Pease throughout his childhood. He attended Pease Christian School for elementary school, then graduated from Milaca High School in 1951. His high school yearbook noted that Harris was shy and considerate, and he liked to roller-skate and play basketball. He played on the FFA basketball team his last two years of high school. By his own report, he was not interested in girls who wore overalls or too much makeup. After high school graduation, he stayed home, helping on the farm for three years. Then, instead of getting drafted into the U.S. Army, he and a couple buddies volunteered for two years' service. He completed basic training at Fort Riley, KS, then spent the rest of his service time in Fort Lewis, WA. When Harris was discharged from the Army in January 1956, he registered to start pre-business courses at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI, in the fall. In the interim, he worked in South Chicago in concrete construction with his cousins Alvin Bouma and Andrew DeVries, pouring basement walls for private residences. He reported it was hard work. Harris attended Calvin College from September 1956 to the spring of 1958. During this time, he lived off campus in a house with his brother, Wayne. In September 1958, Harris transferred to the Business School at the University of Minnesota, where he lived on campus in Centennial Hall. While he was in school, Harris began attending First Christian Reformed Church in Minneapolis. In March 1961, he graduated from the U of M with a bachelor's degree in insurance. Immediately following graduation, he took a job at INA in their Minneapolis branch. He spent most of his career with the company, continuing with them through a move to the Pentagon Office Park in Edina, a merger with CG to become Cigna, a second move to a location at France and 494, and lastly, a move to Eden Prairie. In the fall of 1961, Harris was living in a boarding house in Minneapolis and continuing to attend First Christian Reformed Church. There, he met Jean Verhoef in the church's young adult class. Jean was serving as the first principal of the newly established Calvin Christian School (CCS), now Avail Academy, in Edina, as well as being a teacher there. Harris and Jean were married in August 1963 at First Christian Reformed Church. They moved into an upstairs apartment in a neighborhood near the church and looked forward to starting a family. Their first son, Greg, was born in 1964. In July 1965, they moved into a house in Edina. Their daughter Laura was born the next year, followed by Cheryl 1.5 years after that. Kevin was the caboose, arriving in 1973. Harris and Jean were very involved in their church and at CCS and were well-regarded members of those communities. Harris spent time serving on the Elder Board at church while Jean taught Sunday School and later worked part-time as the church secretary. Harris also served on the CCS school board for a term. In May 1991, after 30 years as an insurance underwriter at Cigna, Harris took early retirement when the underwriting department in Eden Prairie moved to Chicago. He received a pension and one-year severance. After that, he worked a number of short-term jobs through an employment agency before landing a contract clerical job in the records center at LifeUSA in September. He was brought on as a full-time LifeUSA employee in January 1992. In September 1992, Harris joined the Gideons International, with Jean becoming a member of the Auxiliary. He served as a treasurer and church ministry representative. As a representative, he met with churches and pastors to give presentations on the Gideons and request donations to help distribute Bibles to local hotels. He also brought World Home Bible League Bibles to the Thunderbird Motel in Bloomington on occasion. Sadly, the following year, Jean passed away after a sudden heart attack on June 4, 1993. The loss of her warm, welcoming presence was devastating for Harris and his family. She was greatly missed by their church and school communities as well. The pain of Jean's loss was tempered for Harris by his joy in becoming a grandfather in 1995. He loved spending time with his children and their growing families. After 10 years at LifeUSA, which became Allianz, Harris retired permanently in May 2002. A highlight of his time at the company was when his name was selected for a Caribbean cruise, which his daughter Laura went on with him. After his retirement, Harris began volunteering weekly at the Bibles for Mission Thrift Store (now Legacy Thrift) in Minneapolis. He also delivered meal trays to homebound seniors through Meals on Wheels. He was part of the Friends for Jesus group at Calvary Church, a program where volunteers were paired up with an adult with special needs from a group home for singing, a Bible lesson, and a craft project. He enjoyed monthly hymn sings at church and made it a priority to attend services and other activities regularly. Harris also enjoyed community dining at the local senior center. Harris suffered from several health issues in his later years, but he maintained a positive attitude throughout it all. His first major health crisis occurred in December 2016, when he fell on a patch of ice at the bottom of his driveway. Despite a fractured hip, he managed to stand and make his way to his car at the top of the driveway, climb in, and drive himself to a nearby urgent care. From there he was transported to the ER. After several screws were surgically placed in his hip, he was released and carried on with many of his usual activities. His progressive macular degeneration eventually led to nighttime and highway driving restrictions, and it wasn't too long before he opted to give up driving altogether. However, he was still able to live at home until he was 87 with the help of his daughter Laura, his son-in-law Jon, and their family, who moved in to care for him. Harris moved to assisted living at Presbyterian Homes of Bloomington in November 2020, where he received caring, supportive assistance for several years. During his time at Presbyterian Homes, his favorite social activities were playing BINGO, Jeopardy!, Yahtzee, and trivia and listening to a variety of music groups and concerts, including the weekly piano player in the lobby. His favorite dessert was his daily cookie and scoop of ice cream. In October 2023, many of his family members, church friends, and family friends gathered to celebrate his 90th birthday. As his needs increased, his care team at Presbyterian Homes recommended that he move to long-term care, which he did in January 2025. Harris passed away on February 28, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. We will miss his kind nature; his jokes and sense of humor; and his steady, caring presence. His love for God, his community, and his family set a powerful example for everyone who met him. He looked forward to receiving his eternal reward in heaven, and we are comforted to know that he is there now with his Savior, as he longed to be. He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Gertrude Hubers; his wife, Jean (Verhoef) Hubers; his brother, Wayne Hubers; and his brother-in-law, Terry Johnson. He is survived by his sisters, Joyce (Robert) Warolin and Marian Johnson; his sister-in-law, Cheryl Hubers; his children, Greg (Emily) Hubers, Laura (Jon) Skjefte, Cheryl (Ed) Bixby, and Kevin (Courtney) Hubers; 15 grandchildren (Lucy, Makayla, Betsy, Matt, Josh, Dorie, Eddie, Timothy, Silas, Isaiah, Jude, Amos, Annie, Ben, and Josie); and many nieces and nephews. Visitation from 4 to 7 PM on Thursday, March 13 at Washburn-McReavy Dawn Valley Chapel, 9940 Bush Lake Road, Bloomington, MN. Celebration of Life at 1:30 PM on Friday, March 14 at Calvary Christian Reformed Church, 5300 France Avenue South, Edina, MN. Private interment Dawn Valley Memorial Park. Memorial donations in lieu of flowers to Gideons International or Calvary Church, Edina.

Tributes

Harris Eugene Hubers

October 17, 1933 - February 28, 2025

Tributes

Harris Eugene Hubers

October 17, 1933 - February 28, 2025

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