Lawrence R. Harris, Jr.

The Reverend Lawrence "Larry" R. Harris, Jr., 84, passed away peacefully in his home at Collington Life Care Community in Mitchellville, MD on June 12, 2025, following a long battle with cancer.

Larry was born in Baltimore, Maryland on June 18, 1940. Son of the late Lawrence and Elizabeth Harris, the family lived in Bel Air, Maryland, together with his brother, J.D. Harris. As a young man, Larry developed his lifelong love for the outdoors by becoming an Eagle Scout and spending his summers as a scout camp counselor, later serving as the camp waterfront director. Larry attended High School at St. Andrews School in Middletown, Delaware and moved on to receive his bachelor's degree from Trinity College.

After Larry finished college, he attended the Virginia Theological Seminary to fulfill his calling to becoming a minister. Subsequently, he was ordained by the Episcopal Church. For one of his first assignments as a young priest, Larry was asked to chaperone a group of young people on a summer retreat to the Claggett Center. There, he met fellow counselor Susan Jacob, who would later become his best friend and love of his life. They married in 1968 at St. Matthew's Church in Hyattsville, Maryland, where Larry became the rector. The family grew in 1970 with the birth of their son, Reed. In 1976, Larry moved with his young family to St. Barnabas Church in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, where he served as rector until retiring in 2012. In retirement, Larry and Sue moved to the Collington Life Care Community and spent extended summers at their cabin in Maine.

Retirement also allowed time for Larry to thoroughly enjoy his role as "Grandpa" to granddaughter Haven. He would spend time reading to her, teaching her about gardening, exploring the woods, and doing projects together. Most Sunday nights, Larry, Sue, daughter-in-law Therese, Reed, and Haven would have dinner together at the Double T Diner, where Larry would insist everyone have dessert after the meal. While he loved desserts of all kinds, his favorite of them all was ice cream. Larry loved and talked about it so much that Haven's first word became ice cream. For months, she mistook Larry's actual name to be ice cream, and called Sue "Grandpa." Larry and Sue found this hilarious and would tell everyone about their granddaughter's "interesting" nicknames for them.

Larry was preceded in death by his wife Sue Harris. He is survived by his son Reed and daughter-in-law Therese; granddaughter Haven; his brother J.D. Harris and his wife Su, nephew Stewart Harris and niece Elizabeth McDermott; brother-in-law Bo Jacob, and his wife Willa, his nieces Jacy Jacob and Cary Jacob. Friends and family are invited to an 11:00am Memorial Service on July 2, 2025 at St. Barnabas Church, 14111 Oak Grove Rd., Upper Marlboro, MD.

The family has asked for donations to either:

Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Give a Gift in Honor or Memory - The Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Episcopal Relief and Development https://www.episcopalrelief.org/