Maria Carr Harrell

Maria Carr Harrell of Durham, died peacefully surrounded by her family on December 3 while briefly in hospice care. She was born August 31, 1948, the first of three daughters, to the late Albert Gallatin Carr of Durham and Katherine Legg Carr of Henderson, NC.

Maria graduated from Durham High School, attended Stratford College for two years and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill. She began her fashion career at Owen’s Towne Shop in Chapel Hill and soon moved to the store’s new location in Palm Beach. After enjoying many good years, Maria returned to Durham and furthered her career as a fashion executive and manager of Fine Feathers in Chapel Hill, until retiring in 2019. She met her beloved husband Timothy Harrell in Durham and they enjoyed many wonderful years together until he preceded her in death.

Maria was a vision of classic elegance with whimsical and sophisticated taste, a force with a side eye glance like none other. She cherished her family and friends (…most of the time!) and enjoyed old family traditions while making new ones. Her earlier summer years spent with grandparents and cousins in Nags Head, as well as family Christmases celebrated in Henderson, were some of her fondest memories, while neighborhood gatherings with her Dunbarton DD friends was one of her more recent highlights.

Sugar, spice, naughty and nice…that was Maria. While independent and tough as shoe leather, she was quietly sentimental, generous at heart, a loyal confidante and quite the clever girl tied up in a Chanel bow. She loved beautiful flora and fauna, “delicious” food, helium balloon serenades, travel, wearing festive socks, TCM movies, Jeopardy, and was a wiz at the NYT crossword puzzles. Atlantic Beach was her happy place, where her favorite pastime was people watching and awaiting dolphin sightings from her porch. She enjoyed time spent in various social clubs, was a Hostess extraordinaire and was known for her special appetizers and always perfect tenderloin. Her precious dogs, Whoopsie, Zach, and Flurry gave her great joy through the years; and though she would claim her spirit animal was the Grinch, she loved Christmas and experienced tremendous pleasure in creative gift giving. Maria rarely missed Bloody Marys on Sunday with family or friends, was a connoisseur of the finest, but most notably she was the purely adored Queen Bee among her sisters and nieces.

Maria is survived by her two sisters, Louise Faurot (Bruce) of Atlanta and Kappy Black (Perry) of Durham as well as her nieces, Maria Faurot, Anna Carr Faurot and Katherine Black. Maria is also survived by her sisters in law, Cindy Horn (Alan) and Mamie Jo Coker (Neal), as well as her other five nieces and nephews, Cody Carolin, Cassidy Horn, Burgess Coker, Cameron Coker and Chase Coker.

There will be a graveside service 2:00 PM Tuesday, December 12 in Old Maplewood Cemetery, 1800 Morehead Ave. Durham. A reception will follow at the Washington Duke Inn. Memorial gifts may be made to Hock Family Pavilion Hospice. Arrangements are with Hall-Wynne Funeral Service. On-line remembrances: hallwynne.com