John Allan Harris

John Allan Harris passed into the arms of Our Lord on May 18, 2020 after a valiant battle with cancer. He is survived by his loving wife of forty eight years, Kathleen; his children Pamela (David), Jennifer (Todd) and Michael (Pinar); his grandchildren Lauren, Alex, Mina, Emre and Emily; his siblings David, Shelley and Gary and their families, as well as many in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. He was beloved by all who knew him. John was a native Floridian, born in Jacksonville on November 13, 1952. He was the oldest in a family of 4 children. His parents, Jack and Sarah have passed away in the past five years. John loved all sports. He played baseball in his youth and could tell you any statistic of many sports teams and players. He attended two years of college at the University of Florida and was a GATOR through and through. He was also a trivia “nut” and his wife always said he should go on Jeopardy as he would surely win. John and Kathy met working at a restaurant in Indialantic, Florida and fell in love shortly thereafter. They married young and left the Melbourne area for John to join the Air Force where he stayed for 10 years at a variety of Air Force Bases. Their three children are all married, live in Florida and have provided 5 grandchildren. They have always been a close-knit family and thoroughly enjoy each other’s company. Upon returning to Florida, John worked at Textron for several years and then studied to become a surgical technician which he enjoyed immensely. John was a master at putting his patients as ease while getting them ready for whatever test they were having. He had a great reputation around the hospital with the patients, nurses and doctors and would eventually become a patient of some of those same doctors during his later years and bouts with several illnesses, and ultimately, with cancer. He was well loved by these caregivers. His wife, Kathy nursed him and cared for him over the past 8 months as he became weaker and weaker from the disease. He died peacefully at home with Kathy and Pamela by his side. John has two brothers and a sister that all live in Florida. He was very close to all of them and they too have been attentive to he and Kathy over the past couple of years while John was battling his health issues. And he married into a very large family as well. Kathy is one of 8 children. The overriding comments posted these past several days seen on Face Book and in cards have been about what a kindhearted man John Harris was. He was a family man through and through. While he worked hard, his ambitions were all about his family. He adored his wife from the day he met her until the day he died. Never was there a father prouder of his children than John. And although all of us are feeling his loss very keenly, we also have a wealth of wonderful, loving memories of John to help us go on from here. He was such an honorable man, so gentle and good. He loved God, his country, and his family and friends. He also loved baseball, good rock and roll music and the beach. He watched the news and read the paper every day, enjoyed a good joke and a cold beer occasionally and truly enjoyed any gathering of family and friends. John leaves behind a legacy of pure love. Funeral Services at Holy Family Catholic Church are pending. Due to Covid 19, John's burial will take place at a future date at the Cape Canaveral National Cemetery in Mims, Florida. Please check back for those updates. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to any of John's favorite charities: St. Jude Children's Hospital, Feed the Children or Habitat for Humanity

John Allan Harris

November 13, 1952 - May 18, 2020