........"In
Memory Of" ....Francis
Phillip Harris III.....Born 10-22-31.... Died 3-22-06 Aged 75 years
........"In
Memory Of" ....Francis
Phillip Harris III.....
Born
10-22-31.... Died 3-22-06 Aged 75 years
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Francis Philip Harris III (Phil) was born on October 22, 1931
in Huntington Park, Ca. He went to State Street Elementary
School until March 1942 when his father joined the war effort as
a Naval Officer and Pilot. The family accompanied him as he
was assigned to Naval Air Bases in Florida, Arizona, Washington,
Oklahoma, Texas and California. After the war and after
attending six different schools in five years, Phil and his
family returned to South Gate in time for Phil to enter the 10th
grade at SGHS. He was the organizer and a member of the "Plugs"
car club and the "Lancers" club. He graduated with the summer
class of 1949.
On January 6, 1950 he was working at a cotton seed factory in Vernon before entering college. He stepped into an uncovered screw conveyor by accident and lost almost all of his left leg. He fought through a difficult recovery and rehabilitation and went on to marry Mary Ohanesian [Class of '47 or '48] and had 2 girls and 2 boys and resided in Whittier. They were divorced in 1972 and he remarried Sharon, a native of Bakersfield and lived happily in Pismo Beach, Bishop and Bakersfield for 33 years . After living 65 years with
crutches and an artificial leg and continually in considerable pain,
he decided to have his deteriorated right hip replaced. During his
recuperation in the hospital, his wife passed away unexpectedly from
leukemia. While in rehab, he was mishandled by the rehab personnel
and the right thigh bone was broken off the new hip prosthesis which
required another hip replacement surgery. He developed an infection
from the second surgery while back in the rehab center. Within 23
days of his wife's passing he died from the infection which had gone
untreated until it was too late. He lived a life of pain, but to all
who knew him he lived it fully and was always cheerful and fun to be
around.
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