William Lynn Harris Jr. died Monday afternoon at CaroMont Regional Medical Center. He was 70. Born in Gastonia on November 24, 1944, he was the son of the late William L. Harris and Mary Kelly O'Connell. His step-mother, Helen Gordon, died in 2007. Mr. Harris was a graduate of Belmont High School and was retired from Barloworld Handling (formerly Wrenn Brothers) of Charlotte. He began working as a mechanic in his father's gas station while still a teenager; he later became a member of O.L. Nixon's NASCAR team in the mid-1960s. He was fascinated by cars and was an enthusiastic racing fan.
Known to his family and friends as "Lynn," Mr. Harris was an avid outdoorsman for most of his life. He loved hunting and fishing and spent much of his free time in the woods or on a lake.
Mr. Harris is survived by his wife, Phyllis, by his son, Dr. Eric L. Harris, of Cookeville, Tenn., by two half-brothers, Danny and Michael O'Connell, of Jacksonville, Fla., and by two special cousins, Ernest and Sam Mitchem.
Visitation will be held, beginning at 1 p.m., Thursday afternoon at Carothers Funeral Home at Gaston Memorial Park. The funeral service will follow at 2 p.m. Interment will be in Gaston Memorial Park.
Online condolence www.carothersfuneralhomegastonia.com
Carothers Funeral Home at Gaston Memorial Park is serving the Harris family.
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