When Daisy Harris reflects on nearly a century of life, some of her favorite memories are not of vacations or special occasions. Instead, they revolve around work. Ask Daisy where she would go if she could revisit any chapter of her life, and her answer comes without hesitation.

“I’d go back to my beauty shop.”

For Daisy, work was never simply a paycheck. It was purpose, creativity, friendship, and fulfillment. The satisfaction she found in working hard began during childhood and followed her throughout her life, shaping the business she built, the family she raised, and the example she continues to leave for those who know and love her.

That work ethic began long before Daisy ever picked up a curling iron. Born on August 5, 1930, in Greene County, North Carolina, Daisy grew up on a tobacco farm with her parents, Martha and Henry Carmon, her brothers, Henry Jr. and James Elijah, and her sister, Pennell. Life on the farm revolved around the seasons, and every member of the family was expected to pitch in.

As a young girl, Daisy spent countless hours working in the tobacco fields. She “suckered” the plants, removing unwanted shoots so the leaves could grow larger and healthier. After harvest, she helped loop freshly cut tobacco leaves onto long sticks that were hung inside curing barns until the crop was ready for market. The family also raised vegetables, and Daisy remembers spending many hours chopping weeds in the garden so the crops could thrive.

While pulling weeds was not her favorite job, Daisy certainly enjoyed the rewards, especially fresh collard greens and sweet potatoes grown right there on the family farm. There was still time for coloring books, dolls, and neighborhood playmates, but she learned early that responsibilities came first.

Her son Calvin believes those early years shaped not only the way Daisy approached her own life, but also the values she later passed along to her children.

“Mom taught by example,” he says. “She showed us that there was no substitute for hard work to accomplish your goals, and family is the most important thing.”

Those two principles, working hard and cherishing family, would become threads woven through nearly every chapter of Daisy’s life.

After graduating from Snow Hill High School at just 17 years old, Daisy enrolled at Madam DeShazor’s Beauty College in Durham. Along with hairstyling and cosmetology, the school emphasized how to own and operate a successful business. Daisy took those lessons to heart and, following graduation, fulfilled a lifelong dream by opening Palm Beauty Shop in Durham.

For more than 30 years, she poured herself into the business. Calvin remembers that his mother generally worked five or six days a week, and Fridays and Saturdays could stretch well past midnight. Long hours did not discourage Daisy. She worked tirelessly to create the perfect hairstyle for every customer who walked through her doors.

Palm Beauty Shop, however, became much more than a place to have your hair done.

“Mom’s shop was always a lively spot,” Calvin remembers. “Customers would hang around talking, laughing, and telling stories.”

The salon became a gathering place where customers came for an appointment but often stayed for the conversation and camaraderie. Friendships developed there that would last for decades. When Daisy celebrated her 95th birthday, two longtime clients came to visit. One laughed as she remembered once arriving at the salon at 3:00 in the morning so Daisy could do her hair before a special event. Even today, those women insist they have never found another beautician quite like her.

Daisy continued to challenge herself professionally throughout her career. She joined a national organization for beauticians, competed in hairstyling competitions around the country, won several trophies, and even pursued modeling through the organization. Her work was not simply a career. It was something she genuinely loved, and the beauty shop became an important part of both her professional and family life.

Daisy married George Harris, and together they raised two sons, Calvin and Dwight, while also welcoming George’s son, Ronald, into their family. Balancing motherhood and business ownership meant the boys often spent time at the salon while Daisy worked. For Calvin, those long days at the beauty shop became treasured childhood memories.

“I have fond memories of hanging out as a child waiting for Mom to get off work,” he says. “I would get special treatment from her coworkers and customers.”

Sometimes that special treatment even included a little spending money to take next door to the convenience store. With customers talking and laughing, coworkers looking out for the children, and Daisy moving from one client to the next, Palm Beauty Shop became as much a part of the Harris family as it was a business.

As important as work was to Daisy, Calvin says there was never any question about what mattered most to his mother: family.

Daisy was known for her kindness and generous nature, and nowhere was that more evident than during the holidays. Christmas at Daisy’s house was an event. She would cook for days in preparation for a large Christmas dinner and, according to Calvin, would practically invite “everybody,” including family, friends, and neighbors.

She decorated just as enthusiastically. Inside, the house was filled with Christmas decorations, while outside there might be hundreds of lights, a nativity scene, multiple lighted reindeer, and Santa Claus standing in the yard. Then there were the presents. The grandchildren could always count on being showered with gifts, particularly Daisy’s first granddaughter, Ashleigh. Along with toys, Calvin remembers Ashleigh receiving “lots” of beautiful dresses to wear to church.

But Daisy did not shop only for the people she knew would be sitting around the Christmas tree. She always bought extra presents so that if someone unexpectedly stopped by, that person would have something to open too.

That simple tradition says a great deal about Daisy. No one who entered her home was supposed to feel like an outsider. Everyone was welcome.

After George passed away, Daisy continued serving the loyal customers who had become lifelong friends before eventually selling her salon. Retirement, however, did not mean sitting still.

The same creativity that had once gone into hairstyling simply found new outlets. Daisy loved making jewelry, creating flower arrangements, decorating hats, sewing decorative pillows, and experimenting with other arts and crafts. She traveled to craft shows to sell her handmade creations and also enjoyed traveling and seeing new places. Her hands, it seemed, always needed something to do.

Today, Daisy enjoys a quieter pace of life at Bermuda Village, where she moved in 2022 to be closer to family. Her son Calvin visits nearly every day, and her dear friend and neighbor Nancy frequently stops by to share stories and laughter. Daisy also smiles when talking about her church family in Durham and remembers with affection the simple pleasures of farm life, especially fresh collard greens picked after the first frost.

Family continues to give her plenty to celebrate as well. One of the highlights of this past summer was the wedding of her grandson, CJ Harris, a former Wake Forest University basketball standout who now plays professionally in Greece. Family members gathered in Winston Salem for the joyful occasion, creating another treasured memory for Daisy and a reminder that the family she worked so hard to nurture continues to grow and thrive.

Looking back over 95 remarkable years, Daisy has watched generations of her family grow, celebrated weddings, welcomed grandchildren and great grandchildren, built a successful business, and created a life filled with purpose.

For Calvin, the lessons his mother taught are simple because she never needed to preach them. She lived them every day: work hard, take care of your family, be kind, and give generously.

Those lessons can be seen in the little girl working beside her family in the tobacco fields, the young woman determined to learn a profession, the business owner working late into the night with her children nearby, and the grandmother who bought extra Christmas presents just in case someone unexpected walked through her door.

Through every season of her life, Daisy Harris found dignity and purpose in doing the work placed before her and doing it well. Perhaps that is why, when asked which chapter of her life she would choose to relive, she does not wish for an easier season or more time to rest.

She would go back to Palm Beauty Shop. She would unlock the door, welcome her customers inside, listen as the room filled with conversation and laughter, and spend another day doing exactly what she loved most.

For Daisy, a life well lived was never measured by how little she had to do. It was measured by having work worth doing, people worth loving, and giving her whole heart to both.