James Phillip Harris

James Phillip Harris, 78, passed away peacefully on Friday, June 6, 2014 surrounded by loving family and friends. For the past nine years, Phillip's home has been at Bradley Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center where he was lovingly cared for by Alice Watson and the facility's staff. He was preceded in death by his only child, LuAnn K. Harris, his parents, C. Doyle Harris and Isabella Maddux Harris, his only sibling, Trudy Delaney, and brothers-in-law, Paul Delaney, Fred Hannah, Jr., and Irtzle Hannah. He was a member of Tasso United Methodist Church and a founding member of Asbury United Methodist Church in Cleveland, Tennessee. He attended Charleston High School and Bradley High School. He began his career as a carpenter on the construction of Bowater Paper Mill in Calhoun, Tennessee. He was the owner of Harris Insulation Company and Rainflow Guttering. He worked at Robinson Supply Company and later joined Eddie Robinson in the opening of Cleveland Plywood Company where he worked until retirement. Because he wanted to give back to the community he loved, Phillip was a volunteer responder for the Bradley County Rescue Squad for a number of years. He also served on the board of directors for Bradley County Nursing Home. His lifetime passion was farming. As a student, he won agriculture medals for showing livestock. Later in life, he continued his love for farming by raising cattle on the family farm in Cleveland. Fishing was another of his favorite hobbies that he shared with his wife and daughter at their cabin on the Tennessee River. He was an avid bird watcher and loved to tend to his iris garden. He is survived by his devoted wife of 58 years, Sarah Hannah Harris; sister-in-law, Retta Ownbey (Joe) and brother-in-law, Robert Hannah (late Deannie); nieces and nephews, Beverly Delaney Crigger (late Terry), Debbie Delaney Evans (Johnny), Randy Ownbey (Susan), Rhonda Ratcliff (Gerald), Priscilla Conley (Herbert), and Rodney Hannah (Maryann); great nieces and nephews Amy Jackson (Shane), Jenny Smith (Kenny), Molly North (Jon), Mikayla Evans, Matt Ownbey, Laura Ownbey, and Hannah Ratcliff. He is survived by an individual he regarded as a son, Steve Robinson, and caregiver and "buddy," Sissy Hilliard. The funeral will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, June 9, at Fike Funeral Home with the Reverends Kenneth Scoggins and Mark Barber officiating. Interment will follow at Sunset Memorial Gardens. Serving as pallbearers are Ross Tarver, Rick Cawood, Frankie Wilcoxon, Tim Wilcoxon, Keith Shell, and Russell Lee. Honorary pallbearers are past and present employees of Cleveland Plywood Company, and good friend and neighbor, Bill Blymiller. His family will receive friends from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 8, 2014 and for one hour prior to the service on Monday at Fike Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be sent to the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 900, Alcoa, Tennessee 37701 for the Luann Kristie Harris memorial scholarship fund. We invite you to send a message of condolence and view the Harris family guestbook at www.fikefh.com