Thomas E. " Ed " Harris

Thomas E. (“Ed”) Harris, 93, entered into eternal rest on August 30, 2020, after a brief illness. A private family burial service will be held. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be scheduled later.

He was born January 9, 1927, to the late Theo and Emma Mae Mann Harris in Bowman (Elbert County) Georgia. He was also predeceased by a sister, Doris H. Stafford Hayes, and a daughter, Susan H. Hanes.

Survivors include his wife of almost 74 years Margaret H. Harris, Sons Tommy (Rita), Bobby (Jean), and Don (Laura); seven grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and a number of nieces and nephews.

Ed graduated from Bowman (GA) High School, and served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during World War II. After his Naval service, he returned to Bowman and entered a family agricultural supply business. He began a career in fertilizer sales in 1951 with Virginia-Carolina Fertilizers - and, subsequently, International Minerals and Chemicals Corporation – while residing in Gainesville, Georgia, from 1951 to 1967. While in Gainesville, he was a charter member of Lakewood Baptist Church, where he served as a Sunday School Teacher, youth leader and choir member. He was also actively involved with Lakewood’s Boy Scouts of America Troop 134 as a Troop Leader. A leader in the Northeast Georgia Council, he was a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award – a national council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts. In 1967, his career took him to Holly Hill, South Carolina, where he managed the Rainbow Farm Center for International Minerals and Chemicals Corporation until 1976. He then owned and operated The Generator Shop, The Laundromat, and other ventures. Ed was an active member, Deacon and choir member at the First Baptist Church. He was a past member of the Holly Hill Rescue Squad as an EMT. He was a proud member and Past President of the Holly Hill Lions Club, and a member of the Vance Masonic Lodge #230.

Ed thoroughly enjoyed traveling with Margaret, and they sometimes traveled with other couples. He loved gardening and cooking, and cooked for the Lions Club meetings for several years. He was an avid outdoorsman, who enjoyed camping, hunting and fishing. A master fly fisherman, he introduced several others to the art of fly fishing during trips to his favorite streams in Northeast Georgia and North Carolina.

In lieu of flowers the family request that memorials be made to the First Baptist Church, 8455 Old State Road, Holly Hill, SC 29059.