‘I Told Her I Wanted to Get Married Quick, I Was Ready’

BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY | Special to the Birmingham Times

DEBORAH & DAVID HARRIS

Live: Trussville

Married: Nov. 18, 2014

Met: In 1961 in Titusville. Deborah and David met as children around the age of seven when he was visiting his sister, Brenda, who lived with their aunt. Deborah lived next door and was good friends with Brenda. He had a crush on Deborah even then and it matured as they hit adolescence.

“He used to buy me birthstone jewelry from the Five and Dime stores… it was costume jewelry, but he would get it for me and leave it wrapped up in the paper bag he bought it in and throw it on my porch or give it to one of our siblings to give it to me,” she laughed. “He was so shy he couldn’t even give it to me himself. I would have to say that he is the reason behind my affinity for jewelry today.”

“I thought she was the prettiest girl in Titusville…,” David said, “and I would pass by her house every chance I could just so she would see me. And one day, I walked by her house, and she was sitting on the porch with another fella, and she didn’t look up and wave at me. So, I went to the end of the street and waited and walked back down her way, and she still didn’t look up. It hurt my feelings so bad I cried on the way home,” David laughed.

Life took them in different directions they wouldn’t cross again for 50 years.

In May 2014, David found Deborah on Facebook and inboxed her. “He said, ‘you look like somebody I know named Deborah Miller…’ and he didn’t have a profile picture, but I recognized the name and said ‘I knew a boy named David Harris who used to be friends with my brothers, Steven and Vester. Is that you?’”

David confirmed his identity and the two exchanged numbers and talked over the phone for two months before David invited Deborah over to his house for a date. He said he wanted to be her personal chef for the night.

First date: Late July 2014, at David’s apartment in East Lake. Deborah came over for the gourmet meal had David promised.

“He cooked red snapper, yellow rice, a salad, rolls, and had some wine. I was very impressed, although his rice could have been a little firmer,” Deborah laughed. “It was kinda sticky, but it was good. He kept looking up at me sheepishly trying to make sure everything was good, and I told him it was.”

“I was a little nervous at first because I wanted her to like the food, but I was able to relax some after we ate,” David said. “We are both jazz enthusiasts and loved the same artists, so we listened to good music all night and had good conversation.”

The turn: “September 2014, When I realized we were getting serious, I went out and bought him a card to let him know how I was feeling and that I really liked him. And he used to do this thing where he would ask me, ‘what would you do if I told you I was falling?’ And I would say, ‘don’t worry I’ll catch you,” said Deborah.

“Then I asked her ‘what would you do if I asked you to marry me?’ and she said, ‘get a ring and find out,’” David laughed.

Deborah and David Harries met as children in 1961 in Titusville. The couple started dating in 2014, and married the same year. (Provided Photos)

The proposal: Two weeks later at David’s apartment in East Lake. He made Deborah a birthday dinner and proposed.

“He was still being shy, it wasn’t elaborate, no candles, none of that. We had eaten dinner and had a couple glasses of wine and were sitting there listening to jazz when he pulled out the ring and dropped to his knee and asked me to marry him, and I said, ‘yes’, Deborah said.

“I told her I wanted to get married quick, I was ready,” David said. “But she said, ‘no, let’s wait until your birthday [November 18], so we did.”

The wedding: At In Spirit And In Truth Ministry in Smithfield, officiated by their pastors and Deborah’s childhood friends, Pastors Earl and Sheryl Madison. Their colors were black and silver, and they opted for a small ceremony with close family and friends.

Most memorable for the bride was a moment during the vow exchange. “When the pastors asked me, ‘if I promised to love, honor, cherish, and obey,’ I said, ‘obey?’ and everybody started laughing. I never did say that I would ‘obey,’ he had to move on the next vow,” Deborah laughed.

Most memorable for the groom was Deborah’s star-like entrance. “When Deborah was walking out from the back to come down the aisle in the sanctuary, that photographer was just a flicking that camera and had the flash going, you would’ve thought it was the paparazzi and Beyonce’ was coming out…,” David laughed. “In truth, it was like the spirit of God came out with her and she lit up the sanctuary with every step she took.”

The couple had a late honeymoon in March 2015 on a cruise to the Bahamas. “It was my first cruise and my first airplane ride, and I enjoyed it immensely,” Deborah said.

Words of wisdom: “Don’t be afraid to tell your partner how you really feel because they’ll never know if you never tell them,” Deborah said. “And there’s been many times in [several relationships] where I didn’t do that and it set up resentment. And with David, we were much older when we got married, I had learned a lot of lessons, and I learned to share what was on my mind. You can’t be afraid to rock the boat so that you can work through it. If there’s a problem, say how you feel so you can fix it. And then you have to respect each other for their honesty. Honesty is key,” Deborah said.

“You gotta work at your marriage all the time to keep it fresh, alive and vibrant,” David said.

Happily ever after: The Harris’ attend In Spirit And In Truth Ministry in Smithfield, where Deborah serves as an Elder and sings in the choir and on the praise team. They are a blended family with four adult children: Christopher, Limia, Gabrielle, and Jerijanneice, ages 52- 41, eleven grandchildren and one great granddaughter.

Deborah, 70, is a Titusville native, and Phillips High School grad. She attended Miles College where she studied social work and retired as a medical secretary in 2017 after 41 years. Deborah reentered the workforce in 2023 and works as a nursery teacher at New Hope Baptist Church Daycare in West End.

David, 70, is a Titusville native, and A.H. Parker High School grad. He attended Lawson State Community College, where he studied computer architectural design [CAD]. He works as a special needs monitor/aid for Jefferson County Schools, and does independent freelance CAD drafting contracts. He is also a Certified US Chess Coach, where he trains chess players.

“You Had Me at Hello’’ highlights married couples and the love that binds them. If you would like to be considered for a future “Hello’’ column, or know someone, please send nominations to Barnett Wright bwright@birminghamtimes.com. Include the couple’s name, contact number(s) and what makes their love story unique.

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