Treasure every moment: Charlotte Harris loves work, family, life

“When my husband retired nearly two years ago,” laughs Charlotte Harris of Poplar Bluff, “I told him I wasn’t ready to quit yet!”

Harris, who has worked at Hefner Furniture and Appliance for most of her adult life, says she still enjoys her job and the people who work there.

“I go into the office one day a week, and work remotely from home as needed,” Harris explains “Since I handle the bank reconciliation for five stores, the hours I work at home depend on what time of the month it is.”

Harris, a Bernie native, grew up working in her parents’ country store in Powe, Missouri.

“I think my career path was chosen for me,” observes Harris philosophically. “I have always worked in a retail environment, and at the job I had after high school, I discovered that I liked working with numbers, as much as I liked dealing with customers.”

“It’s important to have strong role models in the workplace,” Harris points out, “and when I began working at Hefner, I was eager and willing to learn. Wythia Hefner took an interest in me and helped guide me into my career.”

“Talk about ageless,” Harris goes on to say, “she could run circles around any of her employees!”

Harris says that with Hefner’s encouragement and support, she eventually worked her way up to accounting manager.

“I have been in my field — in some capacity — for over 50 years,” reflects Harris, “and I have learned that it is important to like and respect the people in your life. If you can’t do that, then you should not be involved with those people.”

“At Hefner we have always had that connection of being family,” Harris reveals. “You can’t spend so much time together and not form close friendships. Even though we have gone from one location with about 25 people, to three locations and 75 people, there is still that family-like feeling.”

Harris says having a child taught her a valuable lesson about prioritizing, and made her realize that sometimes the career, no matter how rewarding, has to take a back seat.

“It was Christmas-time,” Harris remembers, “and I was working 50-plus hours a week. My daughter was young, and I was tired. I was so tired I could not even enjoy the holidays. My husband was employed by the railroad, and he worked ungodly hours, too, so he couldn’t help out.”

Harris continues, “As much as I enjoyed my work, I knew something had to give, so I made the decision to go part-time. It was the best decision for me and for my family, and I have never regretted it.”

Even though in recent years, Harris has reduced her work schedule even more, she is not one to lead a sedentary life.

“It’s important to stay active and stay involved,” Harris advises. “Besides our personal interests and hobbies, we all need interaction with others to keep us connected to the world outside ourselves.”

“My No. 1 hobby is reading,” Harris discloses. “I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t have a book in my hand. I joined the Book Club at the library years ago, to be able to share my pleasure with like-minded readers. I also enjoy word puzzles and work numerous puzzles a day to keep my brain clear.”

Harris says another pleasure is playing cards.

“We play a variation of Canasta called Hand and Foot. I would play every weekend if we had opponents,” Harris observes. “Cribbage is also fun, and I play Spades online.”

She adds, “We like to be outside, too, and I have found that I enjoy fishing and boating with my husband. My happy place is Norfork Lake. I also derive a great deal of pleasure from working in my yard and gardening. I am looking forward to canning this year because it has been several years since I’ve done that.”

Harris’s interests also extend into the community.

“When my children were young, I was involved with Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Junior ROTC,” Harris explains. “Recently I have begun volunteering at Haven House.”

“I have been blessed with a wonderful, hard-working spouse, two great kids, and am lucky to have my mom living with us,” Harris observes. “We also are fortunate to have some long-time friends who have been around forever. It’s nice to know we can always count on them.”

Harris says that in addition to staying active and involved, her advice to enjoying life in your mature years is having an appreciation for the people and things around you.

“We all need to take time to smell the flowers and treasure the time we have with those closest to us,” Harris remarks. “None of us is guaranteed tomorrow.”

Harris is a 1976 graduate of Bernie High School and attended TRC. She and her husband Terry will celebrate 38 years of marriage in August. They are parents to Tiffani and Austin, grandparents to five grandpups, and have two 75-pound Doberman Pinscher “babies” of their own.