Troy L. Harris was a lifelong resident of Oklahoma City and was born here on September 11, 1962. He passed away peacefully in his home on December 14, 2012 after a valiant five year battle with cancer. His wish to remain at home was made possible by the loving care provided by his children, family, longtime loyal friends, and the dedicated staff of Valir Hospice.
Troy met the world with open arms and made friends easily wherever he went. He always tried to see the best in everyone, and they were the better for it. He had a fine mind and great intellectual curiosity. His interests were wide and varied. If you spoke to Troy at length about almost any subject, he could astound you with his extensive knowledge of that subject.
Those who knew Troy would agree he was a "rugged individual" and had an intense passion to live life to its fullest. He was intensely loyal to his family and friends and was very sensitive, caring and had a wonderful sense of empathy. Troy loved to talk, which he could do for hours, but he also knew how to listen to you silently and without judgment.
Starting at an early age, Troy was an inventor who was always dreaming up something new or trying to figure out how to make something work better. Many times he would enlist his family or friends and they would work for hours and days on projects that usually ended up being something marvelous and fantastic.
Troy was an avid sports enthusiast in many different arenas and as with everything else in his life, he was passionate about any sport he touched. In his younger years, he was heavily involved in soccer and he was very good at it. There were a few years where you would think he lived with that soccer ball 24 hours a day because he always had it with him. He was also the neighborhood bicycle whiz on his red Schwinn, and had the world (neighborhood) record for length of a wheelie and how far he could jump his bike. After that he was heavily into skateboarding and he was very good at that as well. As with soccer, you would think he slept with his board because it was always there, every time you saw him. In 1980 he purchased a Honda Odyssey ATV, to which he applied his modification talents and hopped it up and then took it racing, which of course he was also very good at doing. In his adult life, he loved NASCAR racing and was thrilled to be able to attend a couple of races with his children.
One accomplishment Troy was especially proud of was his invention of a unique ski board binding. In 1989, he and his family patented the binding and founded the Treon Corporation to manufacture and market a water ski board called the "SurfKatt" which featured his patented binding. The "SurfKatt" water ski board was sold by marine dealers and boat shops all across the country. Troy traveled across the country with his family and friends to demonstrate and market the unique abilities of the “SurfKatt”.
Troy loved each of his children and grandchildren individually and enjoyed every moment of time he spent with them. He especially liked sharing his knowledge and listening to their concerns, experiences and questions about life. In return they gave him their unconditional love and respect for everything he had to offer.
He is survived by his wife, Shari; daughter Christi Dawson, son T. J. Harris, step-son Austin Benda, daughter Sophia Harris, and daughter Audrey Harris; sisters Susan Harris and Phoebe Gleeson, brother Jonathan Harris; parents Wirt and Annette Harris; grandchildren, Michaelie Cooper and Finn Dawson, many nieces and nephews and a large host of close friends. He will be deeply and passionately missed by all who knew him.
His family and friends would like to extend a special thank you to all the staff at Valir Hospice for the amazing care they gave Troy. Very special thanks go to Ellen, his nurse and case manager; April his personal care provider; Cynthia his social worker. Also a special thank you to Venus his personal care assistant from Advantage, and Carol his counselor who would take him for car rides and let him listen to Kid Rock. Thank you also to the all the hospice nurses at Valir for all the patience, kindness and love you gave. We are all extremely grateful for everything you did for Troy in his final weeks.
A memorial service to celebrate Troy’s life will be held at Hahn-Cook /Street & Draper on Saturday, December 29 at 10:00am.
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