"Rusty" Harold Russell Harper, Jr passed away peacefully at his home, in Spring Texas on May 5th, surrounded by his family.  He courageously fought pancreatic cancer and never lost his hopefulness.

Rusty was born in Baytown Texas on September 25, 1950 and was raised by his loving parents Harold R. Harper, Sr. and Elvie (Smith) Harper alongside his devoted sister, Luanne (Harper) Cook.

He graduated from Robert E Lee High School in 1968 and continued to Lamar University where he graduated in 1972 with a Business degree.  It is no surprise that Rusty's career was mostly in sales due to his charismatic personality and ability to find common ground with everyone he met.

Rusty had a Snap-On-Tool business from 1975 to 2010.  This business led to many lifelong friends, great stories and ultimately the love of his life, Terrie Harper.  Rusty and Terrie met in 1998 and were married January 15, 2000 in Houston Texas.

Rusty was predeceased by his parents Harold R. Harper Sr and Elvie Smith Harper.  He is survived by his wife Terrie Harper, sister Luanne Marshall Cook and her husband Jay, step-son Richard Allen Fenwick, Jr and wife Deborah, grandchildren Mackenzie Fenwick and Chloe Fenwick, nephews John Marshall, Kevin Marshall and wife Amanda, and Creston DuPont, nieces Morgan Starks, Tara Brooks, Gracie Machula, Elle Norman, and May DuPont, grand niece Miranda DuPont.

Rusty had a deep love and commitment to his family and friends.  His lifelong friends can tell stories of how crazy Rusty was in his younger years and his beloved nieces, nephews and grandchildren can attest to his love of tomfoolery.  He was always available to trade the little ones a quarter for a kiss.  He was always willing to share a nugget of wisdom that you didn't know but needed to hear. His knowledge of history and sports stats were impressive.  His hometown team, the Houston Astros topped Rusty's favorite sporting teams.

Rusty not only loved life, but he participated in life.  He played softball, volleyball, bowled and would join just about any kind of sporting team when asked.  He could shoot the wings off a fly, at 50 feet, with a shotgun and enjoyed sharing and teaching this gift with his nieces.  He would play scrabble simply to mess with the other players by taking a long time to finally play a "Rusty Word" (read made up) and then proceed to open the dictionary up, pretend to read a definition and then use the "Rusty Word" in a sentence..

His easy way with people, charming personality and great storytelling will be missed by all.  He enjoyed helping others and supported his community in a quiet meaningful manner.

Rusty will be remembered for so many things like his history knowledge, love of sports, need for spicy foods and his consistent wardrobe of plaid Ralph Lauren shirts and firmly pressed jeans, but especially his vibrant, genuinely kind and energetic personality.  He touched so many lives and will be greatly missed by all.  We are abundantly grateful to be blessed to have him in our lives and celebrate him today.

Pallbearers are David Dupont, John Marshall, Kevin Marshall, Micky Smith, Gary Hobdy and Norb Johnson with Bobby Odneil playing Taps.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to VictoryHoustonInc for pancreatic cancer research.  Every dollar raised stays in the Houston and surrounding area.