HARRIS, Thurman C. 1924 - 2005

HARRIS, MOORE, RINDERKNECHT, SMITH, DRAHN, PEAL, WHITE, WADDILOVE, ADAM, MEGGERS, ALEXANDER, FAUSNIGHT, JELLISON, WELTY

Posted By: Connie L. Ellis (email)
Date: 5/16/2018 at 15:34:46

SOURCE: THE OUTLOOK, Monona, Iowa newspaper, Wednesday, May 18, 2005, PAGE 6A
Contributor: Connie L. Ellis (Not related)

Thurman Cloyd Harris, age 81, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa died early Tuesday morning, May 10, 2005 at the Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids following a courageous battle with diabetes and kidney failure. Funeral services were held on Saturday, May 14, 2005 at the Trinity Lutheran Church with Rev. Parker Knoll and Rev. Jonathan Offt officiating. Burial was in the Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Thurman Cloyd was born the son of Charles and Grace (Moore) Harris on March 30, 1924 in Blythedale, Missouri. He received his education in Cedar Rapids, attending Harrison and Roosevelt schools. He was baptized and confirmed in the Christian faith at Trinity Lutheran Church.

Thurman married Velma Rinderknecht on February 19, 1947 in Davenport, Iowa. She died in 1971. He married Grace Smith on April 13, 1974 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Thurman retired in 1983 after working for over 40 years as the head cook at Wilson Foods in Cedar Rapids. He also sold Christmas trees for the Cedar Rapids Optimists for many years.

He was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church, VFW Post No. 788, American Legion Hanford Post No. 5, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the 775th Tanker Association and the Cedar Rapids Baseball Club. Thurman started in baseball at the age of 13. He was a bat boy, a club house boy, a groundskeeper, and a director of the Cedar Rapids Baseball Club. He was inducted into the Cedar Rapids Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. He was proud to have been part of the building of the new ball park and to have been a part of baseball tradition in Cedar Rapids for nearly 70 years.

Survivors include his wife Grace; a daughter Sharon (Don) Drahn of Monona, Iowa; two sons Robert D. (Patricia) Harris of Marion, Iowa and Gregory Harris of Keystone, Iowa; two step-daughters Bonnie (John) Peal of Marion and Kris White of Corpus Christi, Texas; A step-son Kevin (Roxy) Smith of Cedar Rapids; a sister Iris (Garland) Waddilove of Cedar Rapids; 10 grandchildren Jeffrey Drahn, Denise Adam, Chad Drahn, Brad Harris, Amy(Wil)Meggers, Erica Harris, Lisa Harris, Nicole Harris, Nathan Harris, Nadine and 6 step-grandchildren Jennifer (Christopher) Peal, Crystal (Doug) Alexander, Heather (Jason) Fausnight, Natalie White, Samantha Smith, and Rachel Smith. Among his great-grandchildren are Adrian and Jenna Adam of Monona.

Preceding him in death were his parents; his first wife Velma; four brothers Archie, Arden, Basil, and Charles Harris; one sister Zelma; and a grandson Garrett Smith.

The casketbearers were Jeffrey Drahn, Chad Drahn, David Jellison, Scott Welty, Nathan Harris, and Christopher Peal.