Thomas Elijah Harris

Tom Harris, 66, of Oklahoma City died Dec. 8 while on a business trip in Chicago. He was a computer program designer for the Veteran's Administration. Tom's 46-year career in computers began when he was a U.S. Marine Corps staff sergeant and became his vocation and his avocation. He shared his passion with Oklahoma City students by donating computers to his church's tutoring program. Tom was an easy-going man who immersed himself in his interests, two of which were airplanes and bridge. Tom was proud of having been born on D-Day, June 6, 1944. That led to his celebrating one birthday at the newly-opened D-Day Museum in New Orleans and his most recent birthday flying in a restored Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress World War II bomber. He resisted learning to play bridge for 30 years, finally took it up with serious intent, learned every convention of the game and played every Saturday night. Tom lived in England and Connecticut before moving to Oklahoma City in 1957 with his parents, the late Thomas Jesse Harris and Marilynn Tenny Harris. He attended Casady School and graduated from Classen High School in 1962. After a brief college career and his military service, he returned to Oklahoma City in 1969 with his bride, Cheryl Metts Harris of Valdosta, GA. They were founding members of the historic Mesta Park Neighborhood Association where Tom served two terms as president. After moving to Fairdale in 2003, he became vice president of the Belle Isle-Fairdale-Riveria Neighborhood Association. Survivors include his wife, Cheryl Metts Harris; daughter, Kathryn Harris Luper and her husband, Devin Luper, all of Oklahoma City; two sisters, Kendra Schauwecker of Zurich, Switzerland, and Elizabeth Hurd of Guthrie; a brother, Jefferson Harris of New London, Conn.; and one grandson, Brady Harris Luper of Oklahoma City.