Harris remembered

HUNTINGTON BEACH — When Sara Noel Harris was in the Newport Beach Police Explorers program as a teenager, she had a reputation for not always listening to rules.

Her supervisors hatched a plan one day to make her more docile. The officers in charge — including her father — appointed her sergeant over the other cadets, then, when Harris was out of the room, asked her classmates to disobey every order she gave them.

The goal was to show the feisty teen how difficult it was to deal with rebellious types.

It didn’t work, though. Within minutes of Harris becoming sergeant, her father said at her funeral Saturday, she had so intimidated the other cadets that they raced to follow her every command.

Harris, who died in a car crash Sunday in Costa Mesa, could be tough as nails at times, as her family and friends recalled.

But there were other sides to her that came through just as strongly: her compassion, which inspired her to learn sign language so she could communicate with her deaf friends; her work ethic, which made her want to become a police officer like her parents; and her wicked throwing arm, which led her to hurl multiple no-hitters in softball.

“Our only real concern is that she’s probably telling God what he’s supposed to be doing, and he’s probably doing it,” her father, Trent Harris, said in his eulogy Saturday at Christ Presbyterian Church. “Or if he’s not, she’s probably shaking her fist and saying, ‘Do it.’”

Harris, a Huntington Beach High School graduate, was 21 when her car crashed into a light pole at the intersection of Mesa Verde Drive and Adams Avenue around 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

She and her boyfriend were reportedly racing their cars down the street when the accident occurred, and investigators are waiting for blood tests to determine whether Harris had been drinking.

The alcohol issue has stirred up some contention in the Mesa Verde community, as a resident called off her plan to memorialize Harris publicly after a number of people complained about it.

At the funeral Saturday, Harris’ father spoke briefly about the accident — not mentioning its cause — but spent most of his time sharing memories of his daughter’s life and her seemingly boundless energy.

Many of his recollections involved Harris’ days on the softball diamond, where he served as her coach for a number of years.

When she began pitching, he said, her aim was so poor that a coach often played the Troggs’ “Wild Thing” when she took the mound, but she honed her skills quickly and became an inspiring team leader.

“She walked out to the mound like she owned it and no one — no one — better mess with her,” Trent Harris said.

As he spoke, flowers lined the stage behind Harris’ coffin, and the crowd of friends and family members spilled nearly out the back door of the church.

The service ended with a slide show tracing her life from infancy to adulthood: mugging for the camera, doting on her baby brother, posing with her teammates.

Pastor Johnny Smith, who opened and closed the service, said Harris’ religious devotion defined her personality as well.

“I see her with eyes like God sees her with,” Smith told the crowd. “No flaws. Just beautiful.”

 SPEAKING OUT

“We truly had no idea how many people Sara touched over the years just by being Sara.”

Trent Harris

Sara Noel Harris’ father, on the letters and calls his family had received in the last week

“Even though Sara would deny it, we were becoming friends.”

Tawny Harris

on how she and her sister grew closer over time

“For some reason, she called me ‘Joseph.’”

Brett Harris

on the pet name his sister created for him

“As we gather today, we come to mourn the loss that those who knew her are experiencing. But we come also to celebrate the life of Sara.”

Johnny Smith

Pastor

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at michael.miller@latimes.com.