Longtime, respected jail administrator dies

Bobby Harris, jail administrator and 24-year employee at the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department, died Monday, May 29 (Memorial Day).

In a 2015 interview for a feature story on Harris, sheriff Kenny Dickerson lauded his jail administrator for his outstanding personality.

“He meets the public well, he can talk to the poorest and the richest, he gets along with everybody,” Dickerson said.

On Tuesday morning of this week, the sheriff said his good friend will be greatly missed.

“First and foremost he was a Christian – honest, of high integrity, even-tempered, a very loyal employee with impeccable work ethics,” Dickerson said. “He was a great family man, very devoted to his duties. He never met a stranger. Obviously, he was one of my very best friends.

“Bobby was not just your friend on days the sun was shining. He was your friend in good times and bad. He worked   weekends and holidays. His shoes will be very hard to fill.”

Harris’ illness began with melanoma of the heel in 2006. Then in April 2014, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It went into remission; then Harris fought his last battle with cancer of the pancreas, after diagnosis in July 2014.

He was a member of Smith Grove MB Church, a deacon, and member of the Masonic Lodge.

Raised on a farm in the Chulahoma area, he studied at Galena Elemen­tary School and graduated from Byhalia High School. He began his employment with Continental Foundry in Byhalia where he put in 20 years before starting full-time at the sheriff’s department. He served under three sheriffs, Bobby Joe Adkins, who hired him as part-time jailer, then went full-time under sheriff Ernest Cunningham. Dickerson, after election to his first term, later named Harris jail administrator.

Under Sheriff Dickerson, he kept up with the ever-advancing requirements of running a jail and training of staff.

Harris had many other skills that helped the department such as striping of patrol cars, installing radios, and doing mechanical work.

A good  cook as well, Harris ran alongside Dickerson helping the sheriff out at fish fries and barbecues. He was soup maker par excellence, using a secret selection of herbs and spices and putting the heat to the soup as well, according to Bea Green, with the investigative office.

“It will be one of the worst, greyest and coldest of days in the winter and around 10 o’clock you can smell something cooking on the sally port,” Green said in an interview for a feature story printed in The South Reporter, March 5, 2015.

“Bobby will be out there stirring this big pot and shaking ingredients in it. He won’t tell you how he makes it, except for the basic ingredients. It’s absolutely wonderful.”

He leaves his wife, Helen Joyce Coppage Harris and three children, Chevonne Latrece Crockette, Bobby Harris Jr. and Mitchell Bernard Harris. See page 2 for his obituary.

Harris made a visit to the jail a few weeks ago to see his  friends and coworkers.

He had made a special effort to make it one more time to the sheriff’s department to see his friends – those people who are going to miss him.

Yours truly was one of those who met him at the back door to say a final goodbye. Harris was weak and shuffled slowly, his wife beside him helping him along.

“There are better days ahead,” he said.