Harris Wood Miers Jr.

Harris,“Buddy” Miers loved the thrill of winning in sports with a full-time football scholarship from The University of Texas-Arlington, but first, he “walked on” at Southern Methodist University to play ball where his father, Harris Miers, Sr., played years before. After an injury at SMU had healed, Harris, Jr. was recruited to play linebacker for the UTA Mavericks as they are known today. UTA ex-lettermen, all coached by Claude (Chena) Gilstrap who taught them to “bring a gut-busting effort to all you do”, regularly won. Treasured memories of the “T” Letterman’s Association came to his mind frequently and most recently, Harris, Jr. has been a member of the UTA Maverick Letterman Club in Arlington. During those undergraduate years of study and playing football, he met and married Wanda Wilson of Waxahachie and several years later, they became parents to Harris Miers, III and Clare Ellan Miers.

Coming from a long line of can-do spirits in the Wood/Miers family with origins in Virginia and Tennessee, and including the creative and industrious Wheaton/Richardson families from Kentucky and Rhode Island, these hardworking ancestors became pioneering families in Dallas and the Houston/Galveston, Texas, region. Harris caught the long pass from his ancestors for the score as he followed his dreams in the business world with always creative, focused and driven approaches. Harris earned both his BBA and MBA from the University of North Texas (NTSU/UNT) with his cherished mother, Sally Grace Richardson Miers, and siblings cheering him on. He would go on to be named a distinguished alumnus of the business school and a season ticket holder enthusiastically supporting Mean Green football.

After earning his MBA at The University of North Texas in Business Management, Harris set out to accomplish the goals he set forth in business. He founded University Management Services, a consulting firm for new business startups in the DFW Metroplex that included professors from the UNT School of Business. This entrepreneurial endeavor was the springboard to wonderful opportunities that he took on across Texas and Arkansas. He later became Dental Division President of American Medical International (AMI) and the President of Lifemark in Houston where his children were educated in the Spring Branch-Memorial ISD. Eventually, Miers and family returned to Dallas where he became associated with Texas Health Resources (THR) and was named CEO of Joint Venture Entity, one of the first physician hospital organizations in the Southwest. After building many other successful businesses, he co-founded The Miers Group, a healthcare and insurance company based in Texas, along with his son Harris, III. He took great satisfaction that together, they built a very successful business in the twilight of his very decorated career.

With natural artistic talents revealed at a young age, Harris used his gift to illustrate the yearbooks at Hillcrest High School in Dallas. He created many oil paintings, soulful Native American clay-fired figures, Western Cowboy sculptures, wood carvings, sketches and illustrations which are cherished by his family. His daughter Clare takes forward his love of writing and the arts through her career as a Texas features journalist and photographer.

Harris met Barbara Stanfield later in life and enjoyed joining families and friends together. The two loved watching sunsets in the Texas Hill Country, traveling and celebrating family milestones. Their collective goals, mutual hopes and dreams showed their ‘young at heart’ style of living life to the fullest.

Harris also had a love of the Gulf Coast and Texas lakes. He enjoyed boating and fishing with his family throughout the years. The love of water and enjoying scenic nature and wildlife gave him a lot of joy and inspired his creative mind. In his eighties, he never saw this phase of life with limitations. This inspired many.

Harris joins his father Harris Wood Miers, Sr. and his inspiring, adored mother Sally Grace Richardson Miers in heaven, as well as his eldest sister Catherine Elizabeth Miers Zurier. He is with late grandparents Robert Newton Miers (Kittie), Frances Manning Richardson (Erma) and his pioneering families of Dallas, Texas.

Harris was a member of the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, where his pioneer Dallas family also worshipped.

Harris Miers, Jr. is survived by his beloved Barbara Stanfield, his siblings Robert Lee Miers (Marilyn), Dr. Jeb Stuart Miers (Elizabeth), Harriet Ellan Miers, his daughter Clare Ellan Miers McClanahan and son-in-law, Lane McClanahan ,Jr., his son Harris, III, daughter-in-law, Kim Rives Miers, and his adored grandchildren Megan Leigh Miers and Harris “Dru” Miers, IV. He has many special relationships from a long life in Texas including his brother-in-law, Dr. Robert Zurier, the Wilson Family and Barbara Stanfield’s family and their many cherished friends. The Dr. Jose Gutiérrez family and Wayne Bertsch family were special, longtime, loved friends. His heart remains tethered to many nieces, nephews, extended family members, colleagues and lifetime friends.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Sparkman-Hillcrest.com for the Miers family.