Dede Harris has degrees in both Education and Social Therapy from the University of Illinois and a Masters Degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago. She has been an Educator, Social Worker, Business Woman, Senior Housing Consultant, and, for the past 10 years, a Holocaust Educator (she is a Docent at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and serves on its Board of Directors). She has done a great deal of public speaking, particularly about her influence on her husband, Sam, his difficult journey and their quests to Poland and Jerusalem in quest of memory and closure. Dede Harris is also an artist whose work has been widely exhibited.

Dede Harris currently creates Narrative Art working with fibers and welding metals. She recently completed sculptures depicting three concentration camps and has written accompanying books. The titles of these books are:

Her accompanying books place those sculptures in a historical perspective and explain the metaphors and symbolism in each work. They are available on Amazon.com

The movie, A Holocaust Trilogy, produced by Eric Cosh and Ellen Palestrant, is available for purchase and viewing at Sammy: The Journey

Dede Harris resides with her husband Sam (a child survivor of the Holocaust) in the northern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois and winters in Scottsdale, Arizona. Their children include daughter Julie and her husband Jeff and their two children Jeremy and Jessica. Their son David is recently deceased.