Wilmot "Mike" L. Harris Jr.

Mike, as he was known, was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, on February 19, 1941, the son of Betty (Bloch) and Wilmot (Monte) Harris. Mike’s dedication to his family was his number one priority. He had a special bond with his two daughters, Ashley Moffat Harris and Elizabeth Brooke Harris. He met and married Sally Christiansen Harris in 1998. From their marriage until his death, they were inseparable. Mike attended the Linsly School in Wheeling, WV and Choate in Wallingford, CT before enrolling in Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia. Mike worked at Ivey, Barnum & O’Mara in Greenwich as a trusts and estates attorney. As a testament to how much he enjoyed the practice of law, he remained at the firm for fifty-one years, retiring on December 31, 2018, at age 78. Engaging in one’s community was important to Mike, and he chaired several local non-profits: Greenwich Commission on Aging, Greenwich Health Association, the United Way of Greenwich, and Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. Many other organizations benefitted from his involvement including Greenwich Arts Council, Parsonage Cottage and At Home in Greenwich. He was a member of the Greenwich Country Club, the Horseneck Club, and First Friday Group. He was also an active member and past president of the Stamford Photography Club and a member of The Ground Glass, an association of fine art photographers based in Rye, NY. In 2000, Mike was named Outstanding Volunteer of the Year by the Volunteer Center of Southwestern Fairfield County and in 2008 he and Sally were named Citizens of the Year by Greenwich Chapter of Rotary International. As Trustee of the Ruth Brown Foundation for over 30 years, he made a significant impact on many local not-for-profit organizations. Mike loved games and was known as a fierce competitor. He had an inner soul that did not like to lose -- whether it was in sports (golf or squash), in pursuits like photography (a deep passion), crossword puzzles, or most of all in his nightly Boggle game with Sally. Quirky might be the best way to describe Mike’s sense of humor. Never one limited to “dad jokes,” he loved joking with clients. In business meetings, he would sit there carefully taking notes on a very complicated estate plan for a client. Then, picking up the phone, he would say to an imaginary assistant “Give me a number three plan, but hold the...” Mike wanted to master the skills to take better photographs so in 2007, he went on a one-week photography workshop by himself. At the end of the week, Mike called home in tears to say he now knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Little did Sally know that she too would be grabbed by the photography bug. One more passion to pursue together. The couple dedicated their time to traveling and creating photographs that tell a story about the people they met and the cultures in which they lived. Mike loved sharing his work. His first effort was a solo exhibit of his images from Morocco at the Cos Cob (CT) Library. Then he and Sally began exhibiting locally on a regular basis. The couple was invited to have a retrospective of their first ten years’ work at the Greenwich Arts Council’s Bendheim Gallery, known as “Picture This, a Decade Behind the Lens with Mike and Sally Harris.” Mike completed a 260-page coffee table book in 2021. Titled “Now You Can Take My Picture” this was the culmination of Mike’s photography career, something he always wanted to achieve. As one friend said: “Now You Can Take My Picture” was undertaken with his characteristic enthusiasm, which only intensified when it came time to sell the books!”

Mike is survived by his wife Sally (Christiansen) Harris, daughters Ashley (William Troop), and Brooke, a sister Jessie Harris (Woody Cunningham) and a brother Randy Harris (Barbara Sloan). Also surviving are two nieces Lisa Lamborn Adams and Shelly Lamborn and two nephews, Mike Harris (Allie Brandwein) and David Harris (Josh Simmons) as well as sisters-in-law Karin Christiansen Fowler (Scott) and Peggy Christiansen (Doug). He was predeceased by his sister Betty Harris Lamborn, brother Rogers Harris (Anne Harris) and the beloved family dog Casey.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, gifts to honor Mike may be made to a favorite local charitable organization or to the “Melanoma and Brain Metastasis Research Fund” at the Yale Cancer Center: http://tinyurl.com/2zthavpp.

A “Celebration of Life” will be held in Greenwich in September 2024.