Richard Harmon Grogan Harris, 91, died Nov. 24, 2008 of natural causes. Born Sept. 24, 1917 to Maud Lillian Grogan Harris and Harry Joseph Harris in Brookline, Mass. Dick graduated from Brookline High School (1935) and Yale University (1939). After graduating he joined Sperry & Barnes (owned by Swift & Company) in New Haven, Conn., and worked as an industrial engineer. During World War II he enlisted with the U.S. Army Air Force and he met his wife, Cicely Ann Herman, at flight school in Denver, Colo. They married on June 7, 1944 and the following day Dick left for service in the South Pacific, where he flew transport to Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines. After the war he returned to Swift & Company and also remained active with the Air Force Reserves and retired a lieutenant colonel.
His career with Swift & Company took he and Cicely to assignments in California, Oregon, Tennessee, Missouri and Illinois. Dick’s passion was gardening, reading, and building and remodeling homes for fun. Regardless of where he lived, he transformed the place with an enviable collection of tools, books, and know-how. Dick and Cicely moved to Freeland in 1988, where they completed construction on a home and developed an extensive garden and orchard. He cultivated a love-hate relationship with deer, attracting them with his lush vegetation; cursing them for nibbling foliage and gobbling prize cherries. Dick enjoyed daily walks along Holmes Harbor and could often be spotted reading the newspaper in his Chevrolet pick-up at Freeland Park. He was a regular for morning coffee at the 1504 Deli Cafe. Dick was an expert recycler and became irate when others threw perfectly good objects away. He often stopped while driving and reclaimed cast-off treasures. He was extremely knowledgeable of American history and passionate about politics.
He was predeceased by his sister Margaret Reid Harris Abreu. He is survived by his wife Cicely, his three children, Jana Nan Harris (Mark Bothwell), Tennessee H. Harris (Erica), Lisa Kim Harris, and two grandchildren Lyda Suzanne Harris and Ava Isabella Galbraith. Donations in Dick’s memory may be made to the Whidbey Camano Land Trust (765 Wonn Road, Barn C-201, Greenbank, WA 98253). Services will be held in the spring.
