The International Cessna^® 170 Association

I'm sad to report that Joe Harris passed away on Friday. He had many posts on this forum over the years. Joe hangared his 170A (N1478D) across from my hangar.
He was one of the good guys; always ready to help hold a wrench, or offer up a cold beer at the end of the day.
He will be missed.

Services are at 2PM Tuesday May 8 at Arlington Funearal Home on Division street in Arlington TX.

Patrick Mahaffey
C-170A N1410D
Grand Prairie TX

Harris, Joseph L.

Joseph L. Harris, 55, a computer engineer, passed away Friday, May 4, 2007, at his home.
Memorial service: 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Courtyard Chapel at Arlington Funeral Home.

Memorials: American Cancer Society, 3301 W. Freeway, Fort Worth 76107, 817-737-9990.

Joe was born Nov. 26, 1951, in Tracy, Calif., to William E. and Hattie Lois Harris. He attended high school and college in Arkansas. His loves in life were his daughter, Megan, and aviation.

For many years Joe loved the pleasure of daily flights in his Cessna 170, looking down over the congested freeways from Grand Prairie Municipal Airport to the Addison Airport.

He worked as a computer engineer for Citigroup.

He enjoyed participation in chess tournaments, playing tennis, sailing and photography.

He was a member of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Experimental Aircraft Association and enjoyed his camaraderie with other pilots at the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport.

Survivors: Daughter, Megan E. Harris; parents, William E. and Hattie Lois Harris; brother, Clifton E. Harris and wife, Lynn; nephew, Michael Harris; and niece, Jessica L. Harris.

Published in the Star-Telegram on 5/6/2007.
Notice • Guest Book • Funeral home info
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Thank you Pat. There has been a notice and thread to Joe in the members only section which of course non members can't see.

http://www.cessna170.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4570

Last Saturday my daughter played near Rogers, Arkansas. So it wasn’t long, into our trip, before we traveled through Ozark. We crossed a creek Joe had told me that he played on as boy, drove by the paint shop where he checked on my plane for me, passed the airport where he flew around in my plane and I met his father, passed the airport subdivision that he wanted me to check out. Guess I’ll think of Joe every time I leave my house and travel 50 miles west. We had to go back the 2nd day of the tournament on Sunday. I bypassed Ozark by taking the plane and landing on Jim Taylor’s front yard.

My two youngest children and I are planning a 5 or 6 day vacation when I get home. Dakota mentioned flying to Six Flags. Joe invited us over and over to fly down to Grand Prairie, which is by Six Flags, and stay with him. We never did that but I did meet him and Frank at the Grandbury breakfast back in December. It was such a good day! The three of us flew in formation, for part of the day, and then we said good-by for the last time.

Monday I started my trek to work, first stop DFW. Shortly I’m standing by the window that I used to go to, for better cell phone reception, when talking to Joe. It was kind of a way for us to stay in touch. When my commute took me through DFW I’d give him a call while waiting for the next plane. Not that the phone wouldn’t work from any place at any time, it just became a reminder. He always thanked me for calling and made me feel like I’d made his day. But Joe always made everyone feel like he was so happy to be with or talking with them. Wish I could be more like that!

Now I’m at work and finally updating my pocket calendar that I use to store phone list and email addresses. I keep the list on my computer and each year update and print out the list, then tape into a new book. So now I’m looking at Joe’s home, cell, and work phone numbers. Maybe I’ll just leave those 3 lines blank for a while!

My Uncle who lived out from Ozone, AR had a GREAT coon dog! They hunted together every day for years. It got to the point where my Uncle could just leave the size tanning board out on the back porch and the dog would bring the right size coon in later that day. But, one day his wife left the ironing board out on the back porch and the dog hasn't been seen since.
_________________
Joe
51 C170A
Grand Prairie, TX

I was just sittin here readin the "tribute" of Dave and his recollections about the humorous situations, the sharing of flight and airplanes, the recent pathos of a man who knew his life was going faster than he wanted and the friendship that this particular 170 Association member was willing to share.

While these thoughts were drifting through my mind I was also thinking of whether there could be a way to put these memories of Joe, and of many other characters we all have had the wonderful pleasure to have as friends, in an archive where the stories and experiences could be compiled,read and added to by others who would share the memories.

Tom O-Connell, Doggie Kline, John Flemming, Jeanette Taylor and her husband and many others known by each of us. I'm sure that there are wonderful memories and anectdotes from encounters with our members who have "flown on West" that would be cherished by us and bring a smile or chuckle as well as a tear while reading.

Just wondering - - - -

Well Ole Gar this is about as good as it gets. We haven't erased a thread yet. Well maybe one that I recall deserved deletion.

For those of you that knew Joe - Go to Joe's User Name - N1478D - and clik on - Profile - then clik on - Find all post by N1478D

There are 67 pages, 1045 post, of humoruos, entertaining, & wonderful memories.

I can only say DITTO to what you all have and are saying about Joe. What a guy! Before I started officing at home Joe and I would often visit via phone during our mutual commutes in the D/FW Metromess traffic. Both of us couldn't wait until Saturday so we could have breakfast together or fly somewhere in each of our planes just to be flying. We had a lot of really fun, interesting times just flying with no place to go in mind and spotting a grass strip and landing. We would look at whatever was there, visit and maybe never get to the next field. Boy do I miss that already. The first time Joe and I went up to Petit Jean, a couple of years before Dave started the flyin there, we landed and pitched our tents. We thought we'd found heaven with nice camping places, restrooms, etc. and we were the only two tent dwellers that Saturday night. Planned to fly to Gastons for lunch on Sunday, but it was foggy so we headed up the Arkansas River toward Ozark. Flew down low past several barges being pushed up toward OK. Stopped in and met his Mom and Dad and had a really good lunch. Just good folks. I guess one of the best laughs came, as Dave has mentioned, the time Joe went off and left his tent poles at home. Well his tent didn't make it into Better Tents and Gardens that year, but with some rope I had and a few tree limbs, he managed to stay in the tent. We all had a big laugh about that everytime we mentioned it. Joe told a number of us that after he was gone, not to be sad, and to remember every time we went flying to remember he was right there beside us. What a guy.

Sad to hear this news... It's strange how you find a certain familiarity with faceless internet personalities, and it can be no less sad when they pass on. All a guy can ask for is to be remembered fondly, sounds like Joe was a memorable one.

I hate to see anybody go so young...that's my dad's age.