Dr. John Stephen Harris, known to family and friends as Steve, devoted physician, husband, father, grandfather, and faithful servant of his community, passed away peacefully on July 19 at University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. He was 78.
Dr. Harris was born in Jonesboro, Ark., and spent his early childhood in Hot Springs, Ark., before moving with his family to Memphis. During his years at Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, he was actively involved in school activities and earned the rank of Eagle Scout before his high school graduation in 1965. He went on to attend the University of Tennessee, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1968. While at UT, he was an active member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, forming friendships that remained among the most cherished of his life.
Dr. Harris earned his medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis in 1972. Following medical school, he entered the U.S. Navy, serving as a medical officer aboard the USS Columbus (CG-12). He later completed his residency at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Md. It was during his naval service that he met Mary Wasley, a Navy nurse who became his devoted wife and partner for nearly 50 years. They were married on April 15, 1978, at the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Md.
Dr. and Mrs. Harris made their home in Meridian, Miss., where Dr. Harris began his career as an obstetrician/gynecologist at Rush Hospital. He later became a founding partner of Woman’s Group of Meridian, where he cared for generations of women and families throughout East Mississippi. He was known for his unwavering professionalism, meticulous preparation, and deep respect for the responsibility entrusted to him as a physician.
Beyond his medical practice, Dr. Harris was deeply engaged in the Meridian community, serving on the Lamar School Foundation Board, leading the Lamar School Booster Club, and supporting numerous arts and charitable organizations in the area.
After retiring from medical practice in 2015, Dr. Harris and his wife relocated to Knoxville. Retirement did not mark the end of his calling as a physician. Instead, he dedicated himself to serving patients at St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, a ministry of the Diocese of Knoxville that provides free medical care to underserved members of the East Tennessee community. He faithfully volunteered there for many years, continuing to care for others with the same commitment that had defined his career. In recent years, he also shared that commitment to service with his grandson, Jack, who joined him as a volunteer during the summers.
Dr. Harris was preceded in death by his father, Charles Preston Harris; his mother, Helen Reidling Harris; and his brother, Charles Preston Harris Jr. He is survived by his wife, Mary Harris; his son, John Harris II and wife, Fran Harris, of Knoxville; his daughter, Beth Livingston and husband, Clint Livingston, of Mount Juliet, Tenn.; his sister, Barbara Doerr of Knoxville; and his beloved grandchildren, John “Jack” Harris III, Caroline Harris, Molly Harris, Ella Livingston, and Cooper Livingston.
A funeral Mass for Dr. Harris was celebrated at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on July 31. Following the Mass, a private family inurnment was held in the cathedral columbarium followed by a reception in the cathedral’s Shea Room.
Donations in Dr. Harris’ memory may be made to St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, www.smlcares.com/donate, in grateful recognition of the ministry that became such an important part of his life in retirement.
Dr. Harris’ legacy lives on in the family he loved, the patients he cared for, the students he mentored, and the example he set through a lifetime of service, integrity, and devotion to others.