What started out as an ordinary Sunday, turned out to be the last Sunday for Carol and David Harris.
The couple, which lived in Pitt County and had a second home in Beaufort County, died Sunday evening when an oak tree fell on their golf cart on Gilead Shores Road in Blounts Creek.
That morning, Carol Harris sang with her praise team and David Harris greeted guests at Winterville Baptist Church.
Pastor Grant Carter said the congregation was stunned by the news of their deaths. The couple was married in the church about four years ago.
“They found each other after Carol’s first husband died. She was a friendly, gracious person who always hugged me when she saw me,” Carter said. “David was easygoing, quiet and reserved. They will be sorely missed.”
Carol Harris was a finance and office manager at Winterville Machine Works. She had the week off for the Independence Day holiday.
David Harris had retired after 27 years as a manager with Goodyear and 12 years with White’s Tires. He was an East Carolina University fan, and his Facebook biography proudly stated, “Love life and my wife!”
Carol Harris’ last Facebook post, which was Saturday afternoon, was a photograph of her husband. The photo included her comment, “Ready for the river! My good looking hubby!!”
She read Nicholas Sparks books and listened to the Beatles.
The couple went boating after church. They made it to shore just as the weather turned bad.
Bobby Daniels, a longtime friend of Carol Harris, was at the pier as the couple docked. With the skies turning dark and the wind picking up, Daniels told the couple they should hurry home.
“They were 50 to 75 feet ahead of me and turned right to go up the hill. They turned, and the tree fell at the same time. They could’ve made it through two seconds sooner,” Daniels said. “I was devastated.”
John Pack, Beaufort County’s emergency-management coordinator, said a downed power line that was tangled with the downed tree delayed rescue attempts.
“Once they were successful getting the power line neutralized, it was very obvious the people had succumbed to their injuries almost immediately,” Pack said.