Obituary of Philip Richard Harris

Philip R. Harris Philip R. Harris died peacefully on May 31, 2012 at his home in Washougal; his wife Molly Coston was at his side. He was 71. He was born in Rapid City, S.D. on April 19, 1941 to Opal Stone Harris and William Harris; he had 3 brothers and 3 sisters. His family moved to Portland while Phil was one year old, where his father worked at the shipyards. Phil graduated from South Fork High School in Miranda, CA, in the heart of the redwoods. Shortly after graduation, he joined the U.S. Army where he served for three years, 13 months of which was in peacetime Korea. He often recalled the utter beauty of a calm open ocean in the moonlight. Phil worked in the telephone industry for over 40 years, retiring as a Systems Engineer for a large telecommunications firm. During his career, he traveled extensively throughout the United States, and many of the islands of Micronesia, where he lived for 2 years. He and current wife of 22 years, Molly Coston, loved to travel and had wonderful adventures in Thailand, Europe and Costa Rica. Phil also loved anything mechanical or technical and was a computer whiz. He was the Executive Director for the Two Rivers Heritage Museum in Washougal, and will be greatly missed there. He loved that volunteer work, especially working with old photos and digitizing their extensive photo collection. Phil is survived by first wife Evelyn, and four children, Richard, April, James and Opal, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by all, and remembered for his wicked sense of humor, and his great love for life and family. A private service will be held at St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Washougal. A public celebration of life will be held at Washougal Town Square on Tuesday, June 19th at 1 p.m. to which all are invited. To send condolences or to sign the online guest book please visit www.straubsfuneralhome.com.