John Wilson Harris Iii

John was born June 17, 1922 and grew up in Memphis TN. His family lived in a number of different places, during The Depression and then returned to Memphis. He attended Northeastern University and was in Army officer training. Unfortunately his entire program was pulled for active duty, due to our country's needs and he entered World War II, as an enlisted soldier Second Army Sixty-Ninth Infantry. His first day of on the lines was in the Battle of the Bulge. His division helped to liberate Germany, document war crimes and he stayed after the war to document German engineering and secure Berlin. He returned and attended Georgia Tech University and studied Aeronautical Engineering. He met his wife, Jean Prince, on a blind date and they were married in 1949. They left "The South" and moved to California, where he went to work for Douglas Aircraft, later to become McDonald Douglas. He would work there for over 38 years. John and Jean had one child, John (Jay) W. Harris IV. They moved to Palos Verdes where he designed and built their home on Meadowdale Lane, where they lived until 2001. During this time he was active in leading Boy Scouts and also served to head the Ridgecrest Parks Association in their neighborhood. John worked his way up to a Senior Division Manager at McDonald Douglas where he had responsibility for Structural Mechanics for Fuselage on all commercial aircraft. During his time at McDonald Douglas he worked on the DC-7, DC-8, DC-9 and DC-10/KC-10. John retired in 1984. John and Jean traveled throughout the United States and enjoyed time with their grandchildren Jack, Nicole and Gregory. John and Jean moved to Regents Point in Irvine, where they lived until they each passed away. John served on the Resident's Board while living at Regents point and served on many committees. John enjoyed woodworking, gardening and playing solitaire. His love of aircraft, engineering and design lasted his entire life.

If you wish to make a charitable donation in memory of John Harris, please consider the Employee Appreciation Fund (EAF) at Regents Point where our parents lived. This fund helps the employees, many who have worked very hard to make our parents' time at Regents Point enjoyable and comfortable. Make checks payable to "be.group" and on the memo line "RP EAF – Memory of John Harris". Donations may be mailed to Anita Fraley, Director of Philanthropy, Regents Point, 19191 Harvard Avenue, Irvine CA 92612.



Funeral Home:
Green Hills Mortuary and Memorial Chapel
27501 S.Western Ave.
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
US 90275