Lt. George Frederick Harris Mcso

George Frederick Harris, 72, of Bradenton, passed away on October 2, 2017. He was born on January 29, 1945 in Plainfield, NJ.

He met his college sweetheart, Barbara, at Athens College in Alabama in 1967. They then were married in Ridgefield, CT in 1969. They moved to Sarasota in 1970. George and Barbara were married 48 years this past June.

George started his Law Enforcement career with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office in 1971. He spent 6 years with SSO before he, Barbara, Kim, Jamie and their beloved St. Bernard, Hennessey, moved to Manatee County. This new chapter brought him to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. He would spend the next 26 years advancing his career through many various positions. He held titles such as 1 st Lieutenant, Arson Investigator, Detective Sergeant for C.I.D, and the first Bomb Technician in Manatee County – creating Manatee’s first Bomb Squad. He was the founding Commander for the Haz-Mat team, integrating firefighters from the various fire departments in Manatee County as the staffing for the team. He was also dedicated to his role as Regional Director for the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (IABTI). He retired in 2003.

He was a hardworking and devoted husband, father and “Papa”. He is survived by his wife, Barbara, daughters Kim Zink (Todd) of Bradenton and Jamie Harris of Ellenton. He is survived by 4 grandchildren, Alex Zink and Emily Zink of Bradenton and Brooke Breton and Logan Breton of Ellenton. George is also survived by a brother, Mike Harris (Cheryl) of Jacksonville. He is preceded in death by his parents, Mary Thomas Harris and George Logan Harris (Alice) .

Visitation will be held on Saturday, October 7, 2017 from 1 -2p with the service beginning at 2p at the First Church of the Nazarene at 1616 59 th St. W. Bradenton. A gathering of friends with refreshments will immediately follow in the fellowship hall.

Burial will be Tuesday, October 10, 2017, in Westfield, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Humane Society (http://www.humanemanatee.org/donate-online-c224i) or the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial (https://secure3.convio.net/nleomf/site/Donation2;jsessionid=0000 0000.app330a?df_id=1180&mfc_pref=T&1180.donation=form1& NONCE_TOKEN=C9C5610E004E88BC56CFA27F92EA9DEC)

The family would like to thank Shannon Funeral Home who is in charge of the final arrangements locally.

Visitation
2017-10-07 13:00:00
14:00:00
Bayside Community Church
15800 St. Rd 64 E
Bradenton
FL
34212


Funeral Service
2017-10-07 14:00:00
First Church of the Nazarene
1616 59th Street West
Bradenton
FL
34209


Reception to follow services
First Church of the Nazarene
1616 59th Street West
Bradenton
FL
34209