Reneé C. Harper was a longtime Girl Scout leader.
Harper died Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. She was 62.
She was born in Philadelphia on Oct. 3, 1950 and was the only child of Dorothy Benjamin. She was educated in the Philadelphia School District.
She married Nathaniel Harper on Jan. 25, 1969. They had two children.
Harper was employed by Citizens Bank for 30 years as a loan accountant. While at Citizens, she was president of PHIL/AERS and perfected her trip and event planning skills which she taught her daughters. After retiring from Citizens, she pursued her dream of completing her bachelor’s degree in social work at La Salle University.
She loved traveling with her family, friends and Girl Scouts to the Poconos, Savannah and Caribbean.
Harper was a lifelong Girl Scout. She was a Daisy and Brownie Girl Scout leader more than 25 years. In the 1970s, she began in Girl Scouts by becoming a leader for her daughters’ Girl Scout troop. After her daughters graduated from college, she returned to Girl Scouts after she inspired them to become Girl Scout leaders for the troop that they had been members of as children. Along with her daughters, Harper served as a leader and mentor for several hundred girls in Troops 91378, 9500, 9454, 91326 and 9696 in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia over the years.
Harper was an avid fan of the theater and classical music. She especially enjoyed fostering her grandchildren’s love of West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Phantom of the Opera and various musical genres.
In addition to her husband, Harper is survived by her mother, Dorothy Benjamin; daughters, Carol Harper and Dawn Harper-Pinkett; son-in-law, Scot Pinkett; grandsons, Scott, Troy and Devon Pinkett; granddaughter, Tianna Pinkett; an aunt who was like a sister to her, Carol Wright; two brothers-in-law, Walter Harper III and Ivory Mickens; a sister-in-law, Renee Howerton and her special family (daughter, Donyell Fields; son-in-law, Barry Fields and grandchildren, Monae Nelson, Monique Nelson, and Brandon Fields) and other relatives and friends.
Services will be held Dec. 8 at the George Washington Memorial Park and Mausoleum, 80 Stenton Ave., Plymouth Meeting. Viewing is at 9 a.m. Services will follow at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be in George Washington Memorial Park.
