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Mr. Harris Dee McDonald, age 78, of Valley passed away on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, at his residence.

McDonald was born on Dec. 21, 1941, in Lineville to the late Delus Leslie McDonald and Ista Estella Harris McDonald. He was a member of the Baptist faith. Harris graduated from Lanett High School where he played both baseball and football but excelled in baseball.

He served in the United States Army as a military policeman where he was stationed in Alaska.

He worked for West Point Pepperell in the textile industry and transferred to the Wellington Sears Division of the company where he was in management. He went on to retire from this division of the company after more than 40 years of total service.

Harris loved his family and was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities. 

He was a very talented man with many hobbies and skills. He developed a love and fascination for airplanes and flying at a young age. He later went on to become a licensed pilot and a flight instructor. His love for airplanes led him to pursue building four Ultralight aircraft and one Experimental Airplane. He also loved riding his motorcycles and was a talented woodworker.

He is survived by his wife of over 49 years, Debra G. McDonald; children, James Waites, John McDonald, Sr. and his wife, Alisa, Ronnie Waites, Kimberly Zapata and her husband, Fernando; sister, Dean Chapman and her husband, Charles; sister-in-law, Elizabeth McDonald; seven grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren.

Due to the current gathering restrictions, funeral services will be privately held. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made in Harris’ memory to the American Heart Association or a charity of your choosing. Please visit his Memorial Tribute page at www.johnsonbrownservicefh.com to leave a kind word for his family, share a memory of Harris, or to light a Remembrance Candle in his memory.

Johnson Brown-Service Funeral Home of Valley is directing.