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Birth:          7 Dec 1939 Coatesville, Pa.
Death:          3 Aug 2000 Baja California, Mexico
Cause of Death: colon cancer

Notes
!PUBL
1981 book:
Adele is a sales representative.
Adele and Rodney have no children; he has two children, Katherine and Steven, by a 
prior marriage.  
In 1975, Adele and Rodney lived in Alameda, Cal.  By 1985, they lived at 57 Virginia 
Ct., Walnut Creek, Ca. 94596.
Source: Hagar Jameson (1E85E12); Mary Maule (1E75712)
29 Oct 1985 letter from Hagar Heston Jameson
ssn no number issued in Penna 1957-59 no last resid
ADELE HARRIS: ONE LOVING NEIGHBOR, ONE SERIOUS CLOWN SHE AND HER 
ALTER EGO, "HUGGS THE CLOWN," TURNED HER HOME INTO A CIRCUS FOR 
NEIGHBORHOOD CHILDREN: Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice

Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) - Saturday, August 19, 2000

Deceased Name: ADELE HARRIS: ONE LOVING NEIGHBOR, ONE SERIOUS CLOWN 
SHE AND HER ALTER EGO, "HUGGS THE CLOWN," TURNED HER HOME INTO A 
CIRCUS FOR NEIGHBORHOOD CHILDREN

Epitaph 
Adele Heston Jameson Harris 
* Born: Dec. 7, 1939, in Coatesville, Pa. 
* Died: Aug. 3, 2000, in Baja California, Mexico 
* Survivors: Her husband of 25 years, Rodney of Walnut Creek; mother, Hagar 
Jameson of Honeybrook, Pa.; aunt, Tacie Gatschel of Honeybrook, Pa.; stepdaughter, 
Kathy Hunt of Sparks, Nev.; stepson, Steven Harris of Pleasant Hill; and two 
grandchildren. 
* Services: A celebration of life is planned for 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Civic Park in 
Walnut Creek. 
* Memorial gifts: Hospice and Palliative Care of Contra Costa, 2051 Harrison St., 
Concord, CA 94520 
At first glance, no one would have suspected Adele Harris, a petite, blonde with a 
quick smile and caring eyes, harbored a secret, lifelong desire to shock her neighbors. 
Every day, if possible. 
"Once, I remember she was circulating a rumor around the neighborhood that she was 
going to paint her house purple," says friend and neighbor Gwynn Baumberger. 
And the thing about Adele was, you could never be certain that she wouldn't. 
Adele was the neighborhood clown. Really. Her not-so alter ego was Huggs the 
Clown, a persona that suited Adele from the top of her fright wig to the tip of her size 
42 shoes. She never did paint her house purple, but she transformed the interior into a 
big top with a carousel room and jars of candy at every turn. 
"When she became a clown," Gwynn says, "she would ride around in her clown car. It 
had a horn that went ah-oooga' and it had circus music. She'd drive around oooging 
and playing her circus music. We always knew when Adele was coming up the street." 
Some people are born doctors and some are born poets. Adele was born a clown. 
Even before she put on baggy pants and grease paint, she had a clown's heart. 
Rod Harris, Adele's husband of 25 years, says she enjoyed life more than anyone he's 
ever known. But it wasn't about doing things that made her feel good. Adele wanted 
to do things to make others happy. 
When Rod met Adele, she was working for SFO Helicopter, a company that shuttled 
passengers to and from area airports. Adele had started with the company working the 
counter, then taking reservations. Her special rapport with people eventually earned 
her a more visible job as a sales representative. 
Adele would meet with travel agencies and businesses, rounding up service for the 
airline. No one is quite sure how it started, but Adele and a sales rep for TWA decided 
to occasionally dress in costume when they made their rounds of businesses. One 
Christmas, the TWA rep played Santa to Adele's elf. 
When the helicopter service decided to paint one of its choppers in a bumblebee 
motif, Adele followed suit. She fashioned a bee costume complete with black and 
yellow stripes, a set of wings and beanie with a spinning propeller on top. Her costume 
buddy dressed as a flower. 
One day as she headed down the highway in her bee costume, a CHP officer stopped 
her. Since the wings kept her from leaning back, she was driving hunched over the 
steering wheel, which apparently brought the cop in for a closer look. 
"When he came to the window to see what was wrong," Rod says, "she stuck her 
head out of the window and the propeller started spinning around. The trooper was at 
a loss for words and motioned her to move on." 
It made Adele's day. She had visions of the officer rushing back to the station to tell 
everyone about the crazy lady in the bumblebee suit. 
Adele stayed with SFO Helicopter until a corporate takeover ended with the new 
owners selling the helicopters and shutting down the operation. Adele moved on to 
another love, antiques. She managed a large consortium of dealers, and under her 
direction, everyone realized increased revenues, Rod says. 
At home in Walnut Creek, Adele was managing a different type of consortium children. 
She was the neighborhood Pied Piper, friends say. There was always something going 
on at Adele and Rod's house, from tacky parties, where guests tried to out-tacky each 
other in awful, mismatched clothes, to treasure hunts, Halloween ghost fests and 
Christmas parties. 
"The kids in this neighborhood are the luckiest kids in the world," says Dana Barry, a 
friend and neighbor. "They were welcome in Adele's home anytime. She'd make them 
a balloon animal or tell them a story. And she'd listen intently to whatever they had to 
say." 
Adele was a stepmom to Rod's two children, but she never had children of her own. 
All kids became her kids. 
"She was just amazing," Dana says. "At Halloween, she'd have kids' tables with 
pumpkins for them to paint. Then she'd lead them on a treasure hunt. They'd go into 
one bedroom, the carousel room, and spin in circles to pretend they really were on a 
carousel. And then they'd make sundaes." 
At Christmas, Adele would dress as Jinglebell the Elf and convince Santa to pay a 
visit. All the kids got to sit on Santa's lap, and they each got presents. Adele never 
asked for anyone to chip in on the parties. They were her gifts to the children. 
Adele had always wanted to be a clown, and she finally realized her dream a few 
years ago, attending clown schools and learning the fine art of walking into walls, 
making balloon animals and performing magic. 
"I was kind of surprised because of her age," Gwynn says. "Most people don't go into 
clowning in their 50s. It's quite a strenuous occupation, and you have to interact with 
the kids. That part surprised me, but once she became one, it absolutely suited her." 
Adele took her clowning very seriously. For birthday parties, she'd contact the guest 
of honor days before the party to build a rapport. She spent hours practicing magic 
tricks and stunts. She even joined the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce as a way 
to educate people that being a clown isn't all seltzer and banana cream pies. 
And she was never happier than when she was performing. 
"It's an overwhelming feeling of acceptance and joy," Adele said in a 1996 interview. 
"I get hugs from almost everyone I meet. 
"I love what I do. It feels so good to make someone else feel good and make someone 
smile." 
But as with all painted faces, there was a tinge of sadness behind Adele's. Two years 
ago, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. She had surgery and chemotherapy, but 
she reacted badly to the cancer-killing drugs, and when the cancer returned, doctors 
could offer little treatment. 
Rod had learned about a hospital in Mexico Sanoviv Hospital that helped people build 
up their immune system through a program of vitamins, vegetarian diets, therapeutic 
exercise and nurturing environments. Adele hoped to regain her strength so that she 
could resume her cancer treatments. 
Before she left, the neighbors threw her a get-well party, reciprocating for the 
hundreds of parties she had hosted. They even managed to conjure up a few magic 
tricks and entertainment. Adele beamed at the unabashed showing of love and 
delighted that for once, it was the neighborhood that shocked her instead of the other 
way round. 
Throughout her illness, Adele had avoided talk of details. She didn't want to know 
how ill she was, preferring to focus on the positive. A friend gave her a "God box," 
where she would write her worries, fears and pains on a piece of paper and put them 
in the box, symbolically turning them over to a higher power. The children also helped 
her. They'd come into her room and sit around her, sharing stories and jokes and their 
love. 
Adele spent two weeks at the hospital, but the cancer had advanced so far, there was 
little anyone could do. She was 60 years old. 
"She used to say, I may not be strong, but I'm mighty,'" Rod says. "And she was." 
Joan Morris writes story obituaries. Call her at 925-977-8479, write her at P.O. Box 
8099, Walnut Creek, CA 94596-8099, or jmorris@cctimes.com. 
A mural of Huggs the Clown, aka Adele Harris, greets folks as they enter the kitchen 
of Adele and her husband, Rodney, in Walnut Creek. The kitchen has a circus motif in 
bright yellow. (Susan Pollard/Times)Edition: Final
Page: A05


Parents
JAMESON Delmar Kenneth (20 Jul 1910 - Mar 1983)
HESTON Hagar Ann (31 Dec 1908 - 2 Dec 2002)

Siblings
JAMESON Adele Heston (7 Dec 1939 - 3 Aug 2000)
JAMESON Jay Marshall ()

Marriage To HARRIS Rodney John ()

Notes

Parents
HARRIS J. Henry ()
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