Myrtle Elizabeth Pipersburg Harris was born in Belize City, Belize, on November 4, 1937, to Osborn Wilferd Pipersburg and Rosalyn Dogma Taylor. Myrtle was the second oldest of two siblings: Valerie Harvey and Sonia Pollard.
Myrtle attended Ebenezer Elementary School and Wesley Secondary College in Belize City. After her second year of secondary school, she embraced the joys of motherhood, welcoming twins, Phillip and Phillippa, then twins, Edwin and Evelyn, and later Carol, Jamesett, and Wayne.
In Belize, Myrtle raised and supported her seven children by becoming a skilled entrepreneur, providing services to her community as a hairdresser, caterer, artificial flower designer, wedding cake designer, and lumberyard manager. Myrtle had a sharp mind for details and numbers and could quickly analyze an item and reproduce it.
Myrtle moved to Santa Barbara, California, in 1968 to establish permanent residency in the United States. She soon began attending St. Paul AME Church with her mother, Rose Stone, and often helped raise money to support church programs. Myrtle remained a devoted member of St. Paul AME Church throughout her lifetime. In her early years in the United States, she worked as a domestic worker and nanny. A couple of years after arriving in Santa Barbara, Myrtle married Ambrose Harris and gave birth to Ambrose E. Harris.
Determined to pursue her passion for caregiving, Myrtle enrolled in Santa Barbara City College to obtain her Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) license. Due to health challenges, she was unable to complete her LVN coursework. However, she used her training to begin her career as a caregiver. Myrtle was employed at Samarkand Assisted Living and worked as a private home care provider. She also worked at Hughes Aerospace and Santa Barbara Research as an electronic circuit board technician, where she was selected to work on circuit boards for NASA. As a foster parent in Santa Barbara County, she cared for and nurtured many babies and children awaiting placement in the foster care system.
Myrtle was a phenomenal mother who worked tirelessly to raise her eight children, often holding two jobs. Yet, she remained welcoming to anyone who came through her doors, always ready to share a meal. She was an amazing cook, known for her greens, and red beans and rice. Talented at crocheting, she spent numerous hours making hats and baby blankets for family and friends. Myrtle was a mastermind at solving Sudoku and jigsaw puzzles. She enjoyed fishing, watching Lakers basketball, track and field meets, and playing cards with family.
Myrtle offered loving advice to family members and those in need of encouragement and guidance. She challenged her children to seek God and to use their education and skills to build better lives. Whenever possible, she attended birthdays, weddings, reunions, Thanksgivings, and other family events, where she shared stories about her Belizean culture and demonstrated the dances she learned as a young girl. Her greatest legacy is the pride she instilled in her children to be respectful and treat people with compassion and kindness.
After fighting a courageous battle with heart disease and diabetes, Myrtle Elizabeth Harris peacefully passed away on March 12, 2025, in the loving care and home of her daughter, Phillippa, and son-in-law, Zachary Marsh, in Corona, California. Myrtle was preceded in death by her husband Ambrose Harris, sister Sonia Pollard, daughter Carol Ijewere, and son Phillip Pipersburg.
Myrtle leaves to cherish her memory: her sister, Valerie Harvey; children: Phillippa Marsh, Edwin Pipersburg, Evelyn Pipersburg Webb, Jamesett Orosco, Wayne Orosco, and Ambrose Harris; plus ninety-two grandchildren, other relatives, and many acquaintances. A matriarch, with roots and branches that run far and wide like the mangrove trees of her birthplace, Belize, she will remain in our hearts forever.
The viewing will be held on April 10, 2025, 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.at Welch-Ryce-Haider Funeral Chapels at 15 East Sola Street in Santa Barbara, California 93101.
The memorial service will be on April 11, 2025, 1 p.m. at Southcoast Church at 5814 Cathedral Oaks Road Goleta, California 93117.