On Saturday, July 6, 1957, several major historical events took place that were bound to change the course of human history. On that day the Wimbledon Women’s tennis was won for the first time by a black female athlete. It is also said that on that day, John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time. Also on that historic day, Mrs. Luvenia Moore Harris was born unto the union of Zoe Norpor Moore and Joseph Byoe Moore in Artington, Back-bush in Liberia. The name Bibi was bestowed on her by her maternal aunt who took her in at an early age to school her along with her cousin Juanita Traub. Due to old age and ailing health her aunt returned her to her parents in Karpu, Clay Ashland old road. There, she started her primary education at the Triumph Mission school. She moved to Monrovia and graduated high school from Zion Academy on Benson Street. Following her graduation from high school, she was a stay-at-home mom until she joined the Catholic Life Promotion with the Archdiocese of Monrovia. The Catholic Life Promotion developed into the Health Secretariat of the Archdiocese of Monrovia where she worked as a cashier at the Barbara Ann Health Center.
During the Liberian Civil war, she decided to find a way to get her children out of Liberia. She and her husband planned that she gets out. Through the Ladies auxiliary of the Knights of St. John International, she came to the United Sates while her children resettled in Ghana.
Her start in the United States was not an easy one. She would tell stories of how she felt let returning to Liberia. Having to travel to unfamiliar locations for work not understanding the transportation system, and not being able to drive, were challenging. She would share that when it got rough at the point that she wanted to leave, it was the encouragement of Mrs. Ruby O’Conner Badio, a friend as good as a sister and her Mother-in-law, the late Elizabeth M. Harris, that made her stay. Due to her selfless nature, she stayed in the United States without any permanent job and supported her family in Ghana and Liberia. While in the United States, she never thought of herself as someone who needed, and she never rested until her family was resettled in the United States.
Our mother, Luvenia Moore Harris put her family first. She was caring and sharing, and a very loving mother. She was almost always praying for us. She was a devout catholic. Our first memory of us and the church was early morning devotion commencing with that soft and out of tune voice to Ave Maria- every morning to say the Rosary. In the church, she served as lector, and usher; she joined the Legion of Mary and the charismatic prayer renewal. She was and remains a member of the St. Rita Ladies Auxiliary #362 of the Knights of St. John International. She made her presence
felt in every organization she joined.
Through the sisters of the Immaculate Conception, she was able to get her nursing training at no cost to her. She worked in multiple hospitals and care setting during her stay in the United States. In late 2018, at the age of 61, she decided to retire early. She returned to Liberia with her husband. In 2019, they hastened back to the United States when she received news of the murder of her baby, Charles C-Boy Harris. After his burial she returned to Liberia. In 2020, she began to feel sick. In Liberia at the time, and with COVID restrictions, getting her to the United States was a major challenge. Through that ordeal she proved that she was a fighter. When she finally arrived in the United States she was diagnosed with multiple Myelomas. Cancer did not take away her hope. She was always smiling and hopeful even when she was learning to walk again. She made great strides in her treatment.
The last year of her life with us is a memorable one. She was able to witness the sentencing of the individual who murdered her son, spent time with her children and grandchildren. On July 6, 2021, she celebrated her 64th birthday with her family. She played “hide and seek” with her grandchildren; laugh at old jokes; provided unsolicited advice; expressed concerns that some of us were not eating enough or drinking too much.
T hen came July 16, 2021, that fateful day at the university of Pennsylvania Hospital, in Philadelphia. After receiving a week of treatment, the doctors were surprised at her spirit and the way she tolerated the treatment. She was scheduled to be discharged and discharged early because of the promise she was showing with the treatment. Just before discharge she felt stomach pain. And she rapidly went down. The doctors would say “there is nothing more we can do for your mother…We’ve tried everything.”
At about 5 pm that day, she was pronounced dead. The doctors believe that her disease was growing too quickly for treatment. “I only know Luvenia for a short time, but I could tell that she was truly a wonderful woman… I know that she had a great enthusiasm for life even into her last days… Luvenia was very lucky to be surrounded by such loving family. It was clear to me that she was sustained through the personal sacrifices, good cheer, and moral support that you provided, which epitomize the meaning of love and family”, the treating physician wrote.
Indeed, she was a truly a wonderful person. She touched the lives of everyone she encountered. Her loving kindness, caring nature, enduring patience, selflessness, calm and peaceful spirit abundant generosity and unwavering faith was beyond comprehension.
Though her transition deeply pains our hearts, it also brings us relief knowing that she in a better place where there is no more pain or suffering.
