Jim Hill Harris

JAMES HILL HARRIS James “Jim” Hill Harris of Edmond, Oklahoma, formerly of Stillwater, Oklahoma, went to be with Jesus on June 3, 2015, at the age of 89. He was born on December 22, 1925, in Walters, Oklahoma, to Clark and Lena Harris. Gifted as a scholar athlete, he attended and played collegiate football at both Cameron College and Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State). Jim's playing days ended when he entered the U.S. Army to serve his country. He was a veteran of WWII and received his discharge in 1946. After the war, Jim graduated from Oklahoma A&M with his bachelor's degree in 1949 and master's degree in 1950. Jim continued his passionate service to the community by shaping many people's lives in the classroom, on the track or field, and in church. He joined Stillwater High School as a student teaching assistant in 1947. In his twenty-plus years, he taught high school, coached football and track and served as the school's Athletic Director. In 1967, his football team won the AA State Championship. In 1999, his peers awarded him one of the highest honors by inducting him into the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Even after he retired from working for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, many in the Stillwater community -- whether at the hardware store or at church where he enjoyed serving as an usher -- referred to him respectfully and simply as "Coach." His contributions will continue to support the Stillwater community, as he founded the Stillwater Pioneer Athlete Memorial. The scholarship program awards graduating Stillwater Pioneer athletes a four-year scholarship totaling $4,000. An avid outdoorsman, he also reveled in other sports and hunting. Jim was preceded in death by one daughter Linda Kay Harris and is survived by his wife of sixty-six years, Carolyn Louise Harris of Edmond, a daughter Cathy Lyn Bowen (Rio Rancho, NM), a son James Craig Harris (Edmond, OK), a brother Carl M. Harris (OKC, OK), grandchildren: Brent M. Bowen (Overland Park, KS), Brandon S. Bowen (Des Moines, IA), Devin G. Bowen (Overland Park, KS), James Benjamin Harris, (Tulsa, OK), Geoffrey W. Harris (Kingston, NH), Jonathan M. Harris, (Edmond, OK) and Caitlin E. Harris (Edmond, OK); and great grandchildren: Grant C. Bowen, Drue E. Bowen and James D. Sullivan. Services will be held 1 p.m. Saturday, June 13, at the First United Methodist Church of Stillwater. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Stillwater Pioneer Athlete Memorial at P.O. Box 351, Stillwater, OK 74076. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Jim Hill Harris please visit our Sympathy Store.