Col. Audley C. Harris, USA, Ret., aged 95, passed away Saturday, January 22, 2022, in Gainesville, FL.
He was born in Athens, GA and was a son of the late Richard F. Harris, Sr. and Mai Audli Chandler Harris. Col. Harris achieved the rank of Eagle Scout when he was 14 years old. He received his master’s degree in psychology from the University of Georgia and was a member of the Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
Col. Harris was commissioned as an Infantry officer upon graduation from Officers Candidate School on November 6, 1945. His career spanned nearly 30 years. He retired in 1974 as a Special Forces (Green Beret) Officer. During his lengthy career he earned many distinguished awards including the Legion of Merit and the Purple Heart.
His service in the Army included tours with the 42nd Infantry “Rainbow” Division, the 82nd Airborne Division, the Royal Saudi Arabian Parachute Corps, Liaison Officer to Soviet Forces in East Germany, the 10th Special Forces Group, 509th Airborne Division, the Vietnamese 4th Corps and 9th ARVN Infantry Division and the 5th Specials Forces Group. He also served two tours at the Pentagon and was on the faculty of the U. S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA.
After retirement from the Army, Col. Harris enjoyed a career with M. M. Parrish/Coldwell Banker Real Estate which lasted over 27 years. While with M. M. Parrish he obtained the status of GRI, CCIM, SIOR and was a Senior Vice President for the firm. He was a past president of the Florida Chapter of CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) in 1987.
In addition to his parents Col. Harris was predeceased by his wife, Irene Granger Harris; his son, Audley C. “Sonny” Harris, Jr. and his wife, Joni Harris; and a grandson, Audley C. “Chandler” Harris, III, his brothers, Richard “Dick” Harris, Jr. and Rodney Harris as well as a nephew, Richard “Rich” F. Harris, III.
He leaves behind his daughter, Susan Harris Knowles of Atlanta, GA; his grandchildren, Kalyn Harris of St. Petersburg, FL and Justin Chandler Knowles of Cumming, GA; two great-grandchildren, Davis Chandler Knowles and Lily Myra Knowles, both of Cumming, GA; sister in law, Boo Granger of Winter Park, FL; brother in law, Johnny Granger (Cindy) of Havana, FL; four nieces, Fran (Michael) Green and Janice (Charlie) Charles, both of Lake City, FL, Gaye Harris (Xan, deceased) Law of Charlotte, NC and Jacque Harris of Mathews, NC; four nephews, Jimbo (Honey) Granger of Jacksonville, FL, Hugh Granger of Orange Park , FL, Tommy (Mary Ann) Tompkins and Richard (Brenda) Tompkins, both of Lake City, FL and three great-nephews, Xan Law, III of Charlotte, NC and Richard (Sherry) Harris, IV, both Charlotte, NC and Rodney (Amber) Harris of Mount Pleasant, NC.
Col. Harris will be laid to rest at Bosque Bello Cemetery beside his wife, Irene, after a graveside service on Saturday, January 29, 2022, beginning at 1:00 PM for family and friends.
Rather than flowers, the family asks donations to be made, in Col. Harris’ name, to the Wounded Warrior Project or the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
About CCIM
“CCIM stands for Certified Commercial Investment Member. For more than 50 years, CCIMs have been recognized as leading experts in commercial investment real estate. The CCIM lapel pin denotes that the wearer has completed advanced coursework in financial and market analysis, and demonstrated extensive experience in the commercial real estate industry.”
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