Charles Dick Harris passed away January 11, 2022. Dick was the son of Bill and Artie Harris. He was born September 29, 1951 in Ballinger, TX. His family moved to Sweetwater in 1963. Dick graduated from the Texas Tech University School of Law in 1976. Later that same year he moved to Abilene where he started his career as a lawyer. Dick later opened his own private law practice in 1986.
Dick, as all his friends and associates addressed him, carried all his ambition and success not only through his education and business endeavors, but through to his many talents and accomplishments in his private life. He was a recognized hunter in the Abilene area and was always training bird dogs for the next dove or quail season. Besides being an avid hunter, Dick was also an accomplished fly fisherman. Dick spent many summers in the lakes and streams of New Mexico including the Baca and Vermejo Ranch. One summer, Dick rode horseback for a week into the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area of Montana fishing the many streams normally unreachable by any other means. These may have been his passions, not only because he enjoyed them for recreation, but it also allowed him to find and acquire some of the nicest firearms and fly-fishing equipment available. That is always a big part of any passionate outdoorsman’s story.
Other hobbies that Dick enjoyed were snow skiing and sailing. A proficient skier, Dick enjoyed the many slopes of New Mexico and Colorado as well as teaching his daughter, Laura, to appreciate the sport. When it came to sailing Dick started out in a Sailfish on Lake Fort Phantom and soon graduated to a 32 foot Catalina that he docked on Lake Travis. There were many sail trips each summer with friends and family for years, including voyages to places such as the islands of the Pacific Northwest and the British and American Virgin Islands.
In his later years, Dick became very focused on outdoor cooking and became an expert with his pellet grill. Everything he attempted was excellent – just like his life.
Dick is survived by his daughter, Laura Harris of Dallas, his sisters Cindy Valcik of Flower Mound and Paty Torres of Sweetwater, brother-in-law Greg Torres, and numerous nieces and nephews. Dick is preceded in death by his parents, and brother-in-law Jim Valcik.
A visitation will be held on Saturday, January 22 from 4-6 pm at Elliott Hamil Funeral Home on Hwy 277. Masks are recommended.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers memorial donations be made to the Kennedy's Disease Association (www.kennedydisease.org) or to Disability Resources Inc., Abilene, TX.
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