John Harris

John Kelly Harris, 61, went to be with the Lord on Monday, January 19, 2015. John was born in Owensboro, Kentucky to the late Clayton Eugene and Virginia Harris. He leaves behind his wife and best friend, Susan Denton Harris and his beloved daughter, Lee Collier Harris of Lexington, KY. Since John's dad was in the Air Force, John got to live in many places and spent much of his childhood in Hawaii. After his dad retired, the family moved to Rockport, Indiana, where John graduated from South Spencer High School. John graduated from the University of Kentucky with a BA in Elementary /Special Education and from Troy State University with a Masters in Public Administration.

John retired from Orange County Government after having a long and successful career in making Orange County a better place. Prior to joining Orange County, he worked in the private sector as a manager that took him to different cities throughout the southeast before settling in Orlando. His first job was teaching special education for Bourbon County Board of Education in North Middletown, Kentucky.

John was well known throughout Orange County as a community builder and connecting people to people. Some of his favorite projects included the Orange County Targeted Community Initiatives in South Apopka, Holden Heights and Engelwood and he helped build the Taft Community Center. John was famous for taking photographs and posting slideshows of community events and functions. John had a very active political and civic life. He was a member of Rotary Club of Lake Nona, County Watch, Tiger Bay, American Society for Public Administration and many other organizations. John was the founding president of the Rotary Club of Lake Nona and a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow.

He loved photography, telling jokes and helping people. John is also survived by his brother Richard Harris (Sue) and sister Pati Keating of Paris, KY. He is leaving behind many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

A service celebrating John's life will be held on Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 2pm at St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church, 4301 South Chickasaw Trail, Orlando, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Rotary Club of Lake Nona Foundation, 10527 Moss Park Rd, Suite 204, Box 656, Orlando, FL 32822 or to the Central Florida Veteran's Memorial Park Foundation at CFVMPF.org.