The legacy we leave is the legacy we live. In the life of Dr. Byron F. Harper, Jr., that legacy was lived in a way that benefitted countless children, adults and communities.

Dr. Harper passed away April 12 at age 85. He and wife Rose Marie were the inspiration and the realization for efforts that came to be known as Christian City and Southwest Christian Care hospice, both in south Fulton.

They were one of the founding families of Southwest Christian Church. Dr. Harper was a resident of north Fayette County.

Christian City Executive Director Bob Crutchfield said Tuesday that Dr. Harper was a quiet, unassuming man who encouraged all that is good and decent.

“Dr. Byron Harper, along with his wife Rose Marie, was the driving force behind the creation of Christian City over 47 years ago,” Crutchfield said. “It was around his kitchen table that Christian City was prayed for, birthed and nurtured. It was on Dr. Harper’s land that Christian City became a reality. It was with Dr. Harper and Rose Marie’s direction, encouragement and support that Christian City grew from one cottage for homeless children in 1963 to a sparkling new Children’s Village, from 50 acres of scrub pine land to a 500-acre campus housing over 1,000 children and seniors today.”

Crutchfield spoke of Dr. Harper’s love for people and how he provided affordable housing for thousands of seniors, many of whom had little or no income.

“He encouraged the building and operation of a 200-bed nursing and rehabilitation center, an assisted living and personal care facility, and an Alzheimer’s Disease center,” said Crutchfield. “He provided free medical care for children without families of their own, the aged and infirm. He cared for hundreds of employees of Christian City, went from floor to floor to see and minister to residents, worked tirelessly in the clinic, and still maintained his private medical practice to thousands of patients from around the city.”

Dr. Harper graduated from Emory University School of Medicine and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. Entering private practice after the war, Dr. Harper served the West End and East Point communities for more than 40 years.

“His voice is now silent, but his legacy is not,” Crutchfield said.

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