Extracted from The West Carroll Gazette (Oak Grove, LA)
Wednesday, October 23, 1985

Walter B. Harris succumbs; final services held Monday

Services for Walter B. Harris, 59, were held at 2 p.m. Monday in First United Methodist Church, Oak Grove, with the Revs. George Sherman and Joe Solomon officiating.

Interment followed in Oak Grove cemetery under the direction of Cox Funeral Home of Oak Grove.

Mr. Harris passed away Saturday in Cherry Ridge Nursing Home, Bastrop, after a long illness.

He was a resident of Oak Grove where he was Charge Lay Leader and a member of the Administrative Council of the Oak Grove United Methodist Church. Mr. Harris had also served as chairman of the Administrative Council, chairman of the board of trustees, church treasurer, chairman of the finance committee, member of the Conference Board of Church and Society and active in the Lay Witness movement which included witnessing in Ireland. Mr. Harris helped to form and was an active member of the Gideons of Oak Grove. He started the Oak Grove Businessman Prayer Share group. He owned and operated the Sumlin-Harris Dry Good Store and the Ben Franklin Store in Oak Grove until his retirement. He was a member of the Oak Grove Lodge No. 284 F&AM, was a member of the Oak Grove Lions club where he had been elected Lion of the Year. He was a member of the Oak Grove volunteer fire department and served on the scouting committee of Troop 39 of Boy Scouts in Oak Grove.

He was a veteran of World War II and served in the Pacific Theatre in the U.S. Marine Corp. He was again called back into active duty during the Korean War. He was a member of the Thomas-Tyson post of the VFW and the Catron-Kelly Post of the American Legion, both of Oak Grove.

Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Jean Taunton Harris, of Oak Grove; three sons, Raymond Harris, of Lake Providence, Steven W. Harris, of Oak Grove, Jeff Harris, of Monroe; three daughters, Mrs. Doris Lassiter, of Portland, Ark., Mrs. Lynn White, of Oak Grove, and Mrs. Glenda O'Fallon, of Denver City, Texas; three brothers, James Harris, of Jackson, Miss., Ben Harris, of Vance, Miss., and Kenneth Harris, of Columbia; three sisters, Mrs. Louise Nelson, of Pope, Miss., Mrs. Bertha Anthony, of Courtland, Miss., and Mrs. Elizabeth Barnett, of Eureka, Miss.; and eight grandchildren.

Pallbearers were Lavelle Brown, George Newman, James Lingo, Jim Pichoff, Jim Miller and K.T. Dosher.