Obituary: Fred Warren Harrison

Fred Warren Harrison, age 92, passed away at his home Thursday, February 2, 2023. He was born in Greene County on April 23, 1930, the son of Fred Whaley Harrison and Addie Mae Sowers Harrison.

Following graduation from the Snow Hill High School in 1947, he entered the US Army and served at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC. At Walter Reed, in addition to his other duties, he served as an escort when patients were transferred between hospitals and accompanied the body of deceased service members who were returned to their hometowns for burial.

Following his honorable discharge from the US Army, Fred attended East Carolina College for one year before being recalled to active duty with the US Air Force during the Korean War. He was stationed at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, which was a training command post for B-29 crews and Air Force Cadets. Upon completing that active tour of duty, Fred transferred to the US Air Force Reserve where he served until retiring with the rank of Lt. Colonel in 1980.

With his active military service behind him, Fred returned to East Carolina College where he graduated in 1952 with a BS Degree and 1953 with an MA Degree. In the fall of 1953, he entered Law School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from which he graduated in 1956 with his Juris Doctorate.

It was during his years at East Carolina College he met and courted Mattie Ruth Proctor of Edgecombe County; they married on August 14, 1955, at the United Methodist Church of Pinetops. They celebrated sixty-one years of marriage prior to her death on April 27, 2017.

In September of 1956, Fred and Ruth made their home in Kinston where Fred established his law practice which he operated full time until October of 2000. Never fully retiring, Fred worked part-time associating with the BC Law Firm for more than twenty years and literally reviewed real estate transactions for accuracy and compliance the day for before his death. During the many years he practiced law, Fred had the occasion to represent clients in both the Federal and the State Courts at all levels up to and including the US Supreme Court.

Fred was a member of Westminster United Methodist Church where he held, at one time or another, many offices and was a Sunday School Teacher for more than fifty years. He was an active member and in good standing with the NC Bar Association, a member of the Elks Lodge number 740 where he held local, state, and national offices including serving as the Exalted Ruler, and participated in the Wellness Program at UNC Lenoir Hospital where he worked out with many friends several times a week.

In addition to his parents, Fred was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Proctor Harrison; and brothers, Jerome D. Harrison and Philip W. Harrison.

His surviving family includes his daughters, Teresa Harrison Harrell (Norris) of Macclesfield and Kimberly Harrison Smith (Harry) of Swansboro; brothers, Charles Harrison (Edith) and Chester Harrison (Dorothy), all of Snow Hill; special sisters-in-law, Barbara Baker and Shirley Peterson, both of LaGrange; six grandchildren, Harrison Smith (Stephanie), Jacob Smith (Jennifer), Austin Harrell (Michelle), Rebecca Harrell, Laura Hughes (Jason), and John Clayton Harrell (Brenda); and fifteen great-grandchildren, Lana Harrell, Allie Sugg, Nathan Sugg, Lily Harrell, Isaak Smith, Dalton Sugg, Micah Smith, Laya Harrell, Addie Smith, Ledger Harrell, Elowen Smith, Lennox Harrell, Redick Harrell, Kerensa Smith and Mattie Hughes.

A Service of Death and Resurrection to celebrate Fred’s life will be held 2 PM Sunday, February 5th, at Westminster United Methodist Church with Reverend Dennis Peay officiating. Interment will immediately follow at the Snow Hill Cemetery.

The family will receive friends at the church in the hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials are encouraged to Westminster UMC, PO Box 1007, Kinston, NC 28501.

Online condolences may be made at www.taylor-tyson.com where funeral arrangements are entrusted to Taylor-Tyson Funeral Service.