NEWTOWN, Pa. — Mary Lee (Elizabeth) Harris, 94, died peacefully, surrounded by the love of her family, Wednesday, Oct. 12, at Chandler Hall in Newtown, where she resided for the last six years. She was a resident of Naples Fla., New London, N.H., S. Woodstock Vt., Warrington Pa., Germantown, Pa., Syracuse, N.Y., and the place of her birth and upbringing, Waltham, Mass.

Mary Lee distinguished herself early by winning a full four-year scholarship to the College of Fine Arts (VPA) at Syracuse University for the best entering portfolio at the age of 16. She inherited great artistic talent from her father, Hoyland Bettinger, a listed artist and a founding member of the Carmel Art Association.

She married Arthur Harris in 1938, and the couple moved to Germantown, Pa., where she was the director of the Art Department at Curtis Publishing in Philadelphia.

Mary Lee’s was a life well-lived. Beyond raising three successful children, she served her community and the lives of others primarily through the United States Pony Club and PEO International. She was the district commissioner of the Huntington Valley Hunt Pony Club and then the regional supervisor for Eastern PA/NJ from 1958 to 1962, and a lifetime member.

A member of PEO for 66 years, she was devoted to improving the lives of women through steadfast sisterhood and education. She started the Doylestown chapter and a Naples chapter and president of many. She was a prime mover in the formation of the Northeast District State Chapter (coalescing Vt., N.H., ME and R.I.) and its first vice president.

She was a friend to many. She was a volunteer for many years at the Doylestown Hospital and for the Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples, Fla.

She is survived by her three children, Stephen B. Harris, Esq. of Warrington Pa., Richard B. Harris of Furlong, Pa., and Wendy Harris of Syracuse, N.Y.; four granddaughters, Tobi Harris Quinlan, Stephenie Harris, Emily Harris and Rebecca Harris; and one great-grandson, Patrick Harris Quinlan.