Yaita Mae (Rogers) Harris

Yaita Mae (Rogers) Harris left this world on the morning of September 20, 2025, in Albany, Oregon, with her daughter and son-in-law by her side. Her two grandsons were also with her for several days before she passed, surrounding their Granny with love and memories.

Her life was a story of family from beginning to end. She was born at home in Hobart, Oklahoma on May 13, 1935 to Willis “Andrew” Rogers and Thelma “Naoma” (Kerr) Rogers, making a surprise appearance in the middle of a family gathering. She never stopped surprising them with her abundant energy and unique personality.

Yaita moved to Shawnee, Oklahoma when she was seven years old and graduated from Shawnee High School in 1953. Two years later, she met the love of her life, Vern Harris, at a drugstore soda fountain. Vern was working in the pharmacy as a student intern, and Yaita was employed at a dress shop across the street. Her coffee breaks were the beginning of their life-long romance, and their love for dancing—especially the jitterbug—sealed the deal. The coordination of their moves on the dance floor became the way they moved together through life. They were married on December 9, 1955, and she joined him as a student at Southwestern State College in Weatherford (now Southwestern Oklahoma State University) the following year.

After Vern graduated, they lived in Texas until July 1959, when they bought a pharmacy in Maysville, Oklahoma. Yaita worked in the business alongside her husband. When they weren’t working hard, they were playing hard: snow skiing, running, hiking, biking, camping, rock and mountain climbing. They became active members of the United Methodist Church and always supported their daughter’s education and school functions.

Upon retirement in 1997, Yaita and Vern embraced a love for travel. After exploring much of the U.S., they broadened their horizons to include trips across all seven continents. Yaita often expressed her amazement and gratitude for the things they had seen and done, but her family remained her most precious experience.

On April 1, 2022, Yaita and Vern moved to Oregon to be near their daughter. Vern passed away a few months later, and Yaita has now joined him. Other family members to precede her in death include her parents, sister, a nephew, and several aunts, uncles, and cousins. She is survived by her daughter, Rhonda Myers and husband George O’Brien; grandson Derek Myers and sons Owen and Eliot; grandson Jared Myers, wife Jodi, son Jesiah and daughter Camas; and many dear friends. The family will honor Yaita and Vern together in a private memorial at a later date.