Rev. Everett Lee Harris Jr.

Junior Lee Harris, better known outside of family as Everett Lee Harris, Jr., transitioned from his Sapulpa home to his Heavenly home on Tuesday, July 12, 2022. Junior was 88 years old. Junior was born on Saturday, April 7, 1934 to Everett Lee and Etta Mae Harris of Heavener, Oklahoma. Junior was born weighing only 2 and 1/2 pounds. His tiny head could fit in a Tea Cup, his bed was a Chest of Drawers and a shoe box would hold his entire body. At 7 years old, the family moved to California to help harvest fruit, mostly in the fields of Modesto, California. The name Junior, as given by his parents and verified on his birth certificate was insistently challenged by the California teachers. Their refusal to accept Junior as a real name resulted in him using his Father’s name Everett Lee Harris, with the addition of Jr. as a suffix. Family still refer to him as Junior or June. He and his family moved back to Heavener during his tenth grade where he courted a girl named Pearl Levon Oglesby. They married on June 11, 1951 in Waldron, Arkansas. Junior was 17 but his Mother signed for him as 18 so they could be married by the Justice of The Peace. Pearl was only 16 and they celebrated 71 years together last month. The day following the wedding the couple took a bus ride back to Bartlesville where Junior was employed in the foundry for Reda Pump. Shortly thereafter, a strike created an opportunity to move to Linden, New Jersey, where Junior learned upholstery, including recovering convertible tops. Junior later moved to Kansas City, MO to work for Sheffield Steel. Several years later Bartlesville became home again as Junior began working as a carpenter in new home construction with his Brother-in-law Jack Blevens. Then Junior discovered a natural born ability in concrete work through his Brother-in-law JT Harvey. The concrete trade would follow Junior even into the Ministry as he became more commonly known as Everett or Brother Harris. Under the initial guidance of Leon Schneider at Ochelata, Everett began teaching Sunday School class and later attended Tomlinson College in Cleveland, Tennessee. Everett was licensed with The Church of God of Prophecy and pastored churches including Dewey, Ada, Guthrie, Sapulpa, (Broken Arrow) Weer Church, Oklahoma City (Springfield Church), Ada, Broken Arrow (College Ave Church), and finally (Tulsa) The Verndale Church where he retired after 40 years. Everett and Pearl then moved to Grand Lake where many new customers and friends learned of their expertise in quilting. Quilting and operating the Long-Arm machine was where Everett spent many hours until moving to Sapulpa. Everett enjoyed hard work, deer hunting, pole fishing and especially trot-line fishing for those Mississippi Whites. The outdoors was his special place and of course hard work (repeated on purpose) was simply a very real part of life and especially his, if you knew Everett at all. Everett was preceded in death by his Father, Everett Lee Harris, Mother Etta Mae Harris, Sister Melba Kilmer and Sister Marie Blevins. Everett is survived by his wife Pearl Levon Harris, one sister Wanda Conley, daughter Pattie and Scott Wilkinson, son David and Cathy Harris, son Michael and Lori Harris, 7 Grandchildren, 12 Great Grandchildren and 4 Great Great Grandchildren plus many nieces, nephews and friends.

Tributes

Rev. Everett Lee Harris Jr.

April 7, 1934 - July 12, 2022