He was born on September 21, 1937, in in Dale Co. Alabama; the son of Mary Andrews Harris and Jesse Turner Harris.
In 1961 he married the love of his life, Betty Raye Benton with whom he shared 57 years of marriage before her death in 2018. Before his illness he was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing, and conservation. He was a wonderful woodworker and loved music.
He was preceded in death by his wife Betty, his sisters, Opel, Sybil, Nadine, Lillian, Frankie Nell, and a brother, Roscoe.
He is survived by: two sisters, Hilda Cowan and Shirley Dixon; his three daughters, Kay Chapman (Scott), Cathy Harris Greer, Penny Watson (Donnie); seven grandchildren, Jonathan Chapman, James Jackson, Bryan Chapman, Amber Spears, Melissa Mayhall, Danielle Monette, Jesse Preston Watson; several great grandchildren, and friends of the family that will cherish his memory.