Mr. Ernie Clifton Harber's Obituary
Ernie Harber, 69, went to be with the Lord on January 8, 2014 with Betty Harber, his loving wife of 49 years by his side. Ernie Clifton Harber was born on November 2, 1944 in Abilene, Texas. He is preceded in death by his parents J.C. & Doris Harber and sister JoAnn Myrick. Ernie is survived by his wife Betty, his daughters Shannon Harber and Lisa Westbrook of Montgomery, Texas and his daughter Amber and husband Sean Kunec of Pearland, Texas. Ernie has five grandchildren, Ella, Aidan, Emma, Keira, and Cade. He considered his niece, Keri Fruge and her husband, Mike Fruge of Pflugerville, Texas as part of his own immediate family. He is also survived by his brother and wife, Lacy and Dorothy Harber of Dennison, Texas and sister and husband Gloria and Norman Stinson of Dallas, Texas, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Ernie devoted his life to Christ and was a long standing member of the Church of Christ. He served in the U.S. Army for two years during the Vietnam War. He and Betty were stationed in Ft. Devens near Boston, Massachusetts. They returned home and settled in Houston, Texas where he rejoined the Weingarten Company as a district supervisor. Ernie remained in the grocery business for over 40 years before moving to Pearland, Texas and began a career as a commercial service technician with Service Refrigeration. Ernie loved this job. He was a "fixer" and working on anything mechanical thrilled him. Ernie was a very loving and hard working family man. He was loved by all who knew him and never met a stranger with whom he could not strike up a conversation. He loved to help others and would be available for those who needed him at a moment's notice. He loved spending time with his family and friends, coaching his girls' sporting events, teaching them how to water ski, fish and how to paddle a tube while floating the river in New Braunfels, sometimes through strong rapids and shoots. Of course, he was never far behind, making sure his girls were within his reach. Swinging from a rope into the river was another favorite activity to do with Shannon and Amber and all the friends and relatives who would go to New Braunfels. Red River, New Mexico was another favorite vacation spot. He traveled there many times as a child and on into his later years. Ernie was a very proud grandfather, lovingly known to his grandchildren as "Poppy" and he treasured every second he spent with them. He loved basketball and baseball and watching Aidan play these sports thrilled him. Watching Ella perform her "shows and skits" at family gatherings was always a treat for him. Every once in a while she was able to talk Emma and Aidan into joining her. Emma loves to draw and drew many pictures for her Poppy that made him so happy, along with her sweet hugs. Even at such a young age, Keira and Cade developed a special bond with Poppy. Upon walking into a room where he was, they would yell, "Pop!" "Pop!" He was so happy watching them play and do gymnastics at The Little Gym and they always made sure he was watching and would sometimes run away from the instructor to wave at their sweet Pop. He loved telling anyone he came across how Cade and Keira were "miracle babies" and weighed only two pounds at birth. He would always start this story off with, "Would you EVER believe ..." Ernie was an avid outdoorsman and loved fishing, boating, water skiing, and his favorite games, 42 and washer pitching where he won many tournaments. He and his best buddies gathered weekly for many years for a game of 42. The Harber family would like to thank everyone for their love and support during this difficult time.
A memorial donation can be made to the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or www.cancer.org.
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