Marion Harris, Jr.

Marion Garland Harris, Jr., 79, died Friday,  October15, 2010 in Houston, TX.

Memorial services were held Saturday, October 23, 2010 in Houston, TX.  A graveside service for family and friends will be held November 13, 2010 at 2pm  at the Crystal Springs City Cemetery with Dr. Jim Shull officiating.  Stringer  Family Funeral Services in Crystal Springs is handling arrangements.

Mr Harris was born June 7, 1931 in Crystal Springs, Mississippi to Marion Harris, Sr. and Hilda Boleware Harris. He graduated from Crystal Springs Consolidated School in 1949 as valedictorian, vice president of his class and co-captain of the football team. He attended Mississippi State College and Copiah Lincoln Junior college prior to  serving in Korea with the First cavalry Division and the 724th Railway Operating  Batallion as a Staff Sergeant. He then graduated from Mississippi Southern  College in 1956 with highest honors and degrees in geology and chemistry. He  worked for the Magcobar Division of Dresser Industries, beginning as a field  engineer and retiring in 1984 as vice president for Eastern U.S. and Canada. He  then held various executive positions with Newpark Drilling Fluids, Hughes  Drilling Fluids, Milpark Drilling Fluids, International Drilling Fluids, SBM  Inc., Coastwide Marine Services, Tesoro Marine and Two Oil, Inc.

After leaving the oilfield, he did tax work, served as an SAT scorer and performed demographics contracts. Originally a member of the Crystal Springs First Presbyterian Church, he belonged to Hazlehurst First Methodist Church and First Methodist Church of Houma, Louisiana.He is predeceased by his parents and his brother Robert (Sport) Harris and niece Cissy Purvis, and brother-in-law Harold Deaton.

Survivors include: his wife Rebecca Lively Harris;  son Kevin A. Harris and  wife Patricia Harris; daughter Lauren Harris McCoy;  stepchildren  Stephanie L. Seiter, Trey Seiter, Rick Talbot, Stephanie T. Guidry, Julie T. Jenkins, and Kelly Campbell; grandchildren, Jorge A.  Cruz, Stephen Harris, John Harris, Kelsey McCoy, and Victoria Seiter;  sisters in Mississippi, Gwen H. Deaton, Shirley H. Purvis and  husband Al, Ann H. Sweeney, and Lennie Gale H. Upton and husband Runnel, one  sister-in-law Barbara C. Harris and one aunt Gladys Harries and seven nieces and  nephews.