Mark A Harris

Mark Andrew Harris, 57, of Tampa, Florida, passed away on April 21, 2023 in Dunedin, Florida after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born on August 14, 1965 in Hartford, Connecticut to the late Ralph Ellis Harris and Nancy Tyler Harris . He grew up in South Windsor, Connecticut, along with his brother Greg, and graduated South Windsor High School. Mark went on to study health care management at the University of Connecticut (class of 1988) . It was there that he met the love of his life and future wife, Melissa Wilkens. Mark and Melissa married on September 21, 1991 in Westport, Massachusetts and began their life together in Cromwell, Connecticut and later moved to West Linn, Oregon in 1998. For the majority of his carreer , he worked as a financial analyst and auditor in the health care industry. In their free time , they enjoyed trips to the beach, mountains , and day trips to the Willamette Valley wine country. The coasts in Oregon and Maine were special places to him where he loved to watch and listen to the ocean. In February 2017, Mark and Melissa made another cross country move to Tampa, Florida. In Tampa , they enjoyed exploring the area and trips to Miami and to New England to see family.

Mark was known for his generosity and his quick witted sense of humor. Mark enjoyed bowling, golf , poker, and cooking - specialties were lasagna and pecan pie. He was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox and the UCONN Huskies basketball teams. Mark was an active Rotarian and Elks club member.

In addition to his father, Ralph Ellis Harris, Mark was preceded in death by his infant sister and aunt, Jule Anvari. Mark s survived by his wife Melissa Wilkens-Harris; mother Nancy Harris; brother Greg (Jennifer) Harris; nephews Camden and Grayden Harris ; niece Sumner Harris; aunts Barbara Harris , Joan( Tony) Bowling; uncles George M. Hardy, Michael S. Hardy and families; and several cousins.

A celebration of life will be held in Westport, Massachusetts on a future date.