William Harris Obituary

William Wade “Bill” Harris, 85, of Cheyenne, died on November 20, 2024 in Cheyenne.

He was born on December 10, 1938 in Lubbock, Texas.

It was instantly clear to all who met and knew Bill, that he was, at his core, defined by his kind and caring nature. To live an entire life as such is a rare and impressive feat. But beyond that, he leaves a mountainous legacy of works. Bill had an inhumanly large number of creative projects in planning and execution phases at any given time. But the truly impressive claim he could make is that he saw each one to perfect completion. Among those projects are an iconic Cheyenne residence with a waterfall in its two-story atrium, dozens of oil paintings and even more stained glass pieces, a room-filling model railroad replete with a small city’s worth of buildings and scenery, The most amazing dollhouse you’ve ever seen (built from scratch together with his wife, Barb), a completely “ginger breaded” Victorian-themed tool shed, a pair of five-foot-tall stereo speakers made to match a purchased stereo cabinet (including brass details), a complete pipe organ, and on, and on…Bill’s 4 homes in Cheyenne over the years all had large yards, immaculately landscaped and ever-growing with new plantings, gardens, and hardscaping. And always at least one fish pond. Each was a completely different style. Then there are the dozens (hundreds?) of DVD’s Bill produced from video he shot of vacations, special events for church and friends, and musical performances by his children and grandchildren. Bill also had a lifelong love of and obsession with cars. Like everything he did, the cars were nearly perfect.

Bill and Barb were members of the Oak Spokes Antique Automobile Club for over 50 years. Notable car projects include a 1930 Model A, a 1948 DeSoto, a 1963 Pontiac LeMans Convertible, a 1955 Cadillac, and a 1959 Imperial.In the last couple of decades, Bill and Barb worked tirelessly together, collecting and consolidating hundreds of years of their families’ genealogy records for the permanent benefit of their entire family. In addition to all of that, he volunteered countless hours at First United Methodist Church over decades on building projects and video recording of weekly services.Somehow among all of those accomplishments, Bill found time to squeeze in a 28 year career as a civilian member of the Civil Engineering Squadron at F.E. Warren Air Force Base.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Barbara Lewellyn Harris, as well as their two children and five grandchildren. Penny Harris (sons Copland Harris Rose, Thomson Rose, Carter Rose and daughter Gabrielle Rose) of Castle Rock, Colorado and Kris Harris (wife Shelly Harris and daughter Maisy Harris) of Arvada, Colorado and one brother James Arthur Harris of Clinton, OK.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Rev. Therman and Leila Mae Harris of Oklahoma; and his sister, JoAnn Shepherd and niece Shelly Shepard of Tulsa.

Services will be Thursday, January 2nd, 1:00 p.m., at First United Methodist Church.

Suggestions for memorial gifts are Davis Hospice and First United Methodist Church Carillon Fund.