Obituary for Warren Harris
Warren Arthur Harris, 78, of Peoria died at 8:31 pm Sunday May 17, 2015 surrounded by family, his Minister and friends at the beautiful OSF Richard L. Owens Hospice Home in Peoria. Warren was born September 19, 1936 in Peoria to Ruth (Hulquist) and Clarence Harris. He is survived by his wife, Patricia McFarlane Harris, whom he married on July 29, 1961, and their five daughters and five sons-in-law, Margaret Lee (Bill) Schmider of Hanna City, Kathleen Michelle (Tom) Hafele of Waverly, IA, Joan Marie (Shannon) Walden of Peoria, Elizabeth Jean (Matt) Allen of Lynchburg, VA and Michelle Therese (Troy) Adams of East Peoria. He dearly loved his 12 grandchildren Michael Harris, Joshua Harris, Jessica and Jennifer Schmider, Jake and Kassidy Hafele, Kyle and Delaney Walden, MacKenzie and Jack Allen, Ayla and Bowie Adams. He enjoyed five great-grandchildren Jayden, Caylee,Brooklyn, Naevia and Liam. Also surviving are sister Donna (Bob) Norman of Peoria, Doris Kamrowski of Phoenix, AZ and sister-in-law Joan Harris of Newark, NY. Warren had many relatives and some awesome nieces and nephews who affectionately called him “Uncle Warnie”. His older brother, Rev. Gerald Harris of Newark, NY preceded him in death. Friends included classmates from Peoria Heights Grade School, Woodruff High School and Bradley University, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business. Warren was a true lover of humanity and a seeker for justice. He marched for Civil Rights, the Peace Movement, supported Equal Rights for Women (of course) and also LGBT rights. Employed as a Systems Analyst by Caterpillar, Inc. he retired in 1999. He served on several City of Peoria commissions, was precinct committee man for Uplands Neighborhood Association, President of the West Bluff Council in 1987. After retirement he volunteered at Springdale Cemetery. He served as Vice-President of the Peoria Chapter of the ACLU and received the David Citron Award for his contributions to Civil Rights in the Peoria Area in 2008. He was a member of our “beloved community” the Universalist Unitarian Church where he served as President in the 1980's and received the Outstanding Service Award from the church in 2007. He enjoyed Politics (sometimes), reading, good movies, dogs, crossword puzzles, the Dictionary (he loved words), the writings of Robert G. Ingersoll, music (all kinds including classics) but especially Willie Nelson, Burl Ives, Patsy Cline and his sister in-law, Spanky McFarlane of Spanky & Our Gang. Most of all, Warren loved his family, his friends and his church. Everyone enjoyed his quirky sense of humor. He was a good man! Our Minister Rev. Michael Brown will officiate at a Memorial Service and Celebration of Warren's life on Saturday May 30, 2015 at 11:11a.m. (family's sacred time) at the Universalist Unitarian Church, 3000 Richwoods Blvd. Peoria, IL. Visitation will be after the service around 12:30p.m. Followed by lunch. Memorials may be made to the Universalist Unitarian Memory Garden, Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) or OSF Hospice.
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