Obituaries

Richard Wayne Harris, 88, passed away on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. Born June 29, 1936, he grew up in the Dillons Fork area of Fieldale, Virginia, and was the son of the late Clarence Rufus Harris and Nannie Mae (Venable) Harris. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Patricia Ann (Andrews) Harris, as well as his three brothers, Jimmie Harris, Frank Harris, and Clinton Harris.

Richard was a pilot whose aviation career spanned six decades. He began his journey in the U.S. Air Force, where he completed aircraft mechanics training and took his first flying lessons from a private instructor. After his military service, Richard joined Martin Aircraft in Baltimore as a missile technician before returning to his hometown to work at the old Martinsville Airport. There, he continued his flight training and earned his private, commercial, and instructor certificates. He taught countless Martinsville residents to fly, worked with students in the ROTC program at A&T College, and taught night classes in navigation and meteorology. In 1967, Richard began flying for Piedmont Airlines, piloting the Martin 404 and eventually the Boeing 737. He retired from commercial aviation as a captain in 1992 but continued flying private jets well into his later years, always finding joy in the skies.

Never one to sit still for long, Richard kept active during his retirement. He delivered flowers for Bryant-Everett Florist, operated a jet dryer for the track at the Martinsville Speedway, and was an active member of AMVETS Post 35.

Richard is survived by his daughters, Sharon Martin (GL) of Martinsville and Karen Felts (Russell) of Collinsville, as well as his son, Jason Harris (Ken) of Manhattan, New York. He is also survived by his sister, Sue Weiland of South Carolina; his four grandchildren, Savannah Corcoran, Zach Corcoran, Dakota Cassell, and Trey Jones; and his four great-grandchildren, Alexis Cannaday, Kaleb Cannaday, Lillie Hamlin, and Amelia Hamlin.

A Visitation will be held on Monday, March 31, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Norris Funeral Home, 1500 Kings Mountain Road, Martinsville, Virginia 24112. A graveside service will be conducted by the Reverend Dr. J.D. Harmon on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at 1:00 PM at Pleasant Grove Christian Church Cemetery on 5232 Preston Road, Martinsville, Virginia 24112.

Norris Funeral Services Martinsville Chapel will be serving the Harris family.