Steven Dewayne Harris' Obituary
Steve “Silk” Harris October 15, 1963 – February 22, 2016 Known to the Tulsa community as “Silk”, Steve Harris was born in Kansas City, Missouri to Robert and Susie A. Harris. He came to Oklahoma from Blue Springs, Missouri, where he was a standout high school basketball player, to attend The University of Tulsa (TU). He was nicknamed “Silk” by the KJRH-TV sports director, who touted the All-American point guard as a “silky” smooth shooter. Steve played basketball for TU from 1981-85 and ended his career as the university’s all-time scoring leader. At Tulsa, he set a longstanding Golden Hurricane scoring record of 2,272 points, earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors three times and led TU to three NCAA tournament appearances. In 1995, Steve’s Tulsa jersey (#20) was retired and he was inducted into The University of Tulsa’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Steve was selected by the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 1985 NBA Draft. He spent five seasons as a professional athlete in the National Basketball Association playing for the Rockets, the Golden State Warriors, the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Clippers before retiring in 1991. After retiring from the NBA, Steve returned to The University of Tulsa and completed studies to earn his bachelor’s degree in sociology. He trained to become a master welder and had a 20-year career with J&G Steel Corporation in Sapulpa, OK. His passion was the art of restoring iconic classic automobiles, where he spent hundreds, sometimes thousands, of hours meticulously mending a vintage vehicle. A quiet and kindhearted person, Steve was a man of faith baptized as a baby at Metropolitan AME Zion Church in Kansas City. He and his family are members of Church Without Walls Outreach Ministries in Tulsa. Steve was profoundly committed to his family and deeply valued his friends and the relationships they shared. This is evident as noted in a story about him featured in TulsaPeople Magazine in 2015: When asked to identify the highlight of his career — whether it was being named an All-American, being inducted into the TU Athletic Hall of Fame, having his number retired or being a NBA first-round draft choice — the humble Harris doesn’t hesitate. “It’s the relationships I made here at TU that are so important to me,” he says. “I tell my kids that it’s all about building relationships.” When he was playing with the Houston Rockets, Steve met his wife, Harriet (JayJay), who was the then reigning Miss Black Houston and later, Miss Black Texas. Married in 1989, they made their home in Broken Arrow, OK. Together they produced two athletically talented and compassionate children, daughter Brittany (a state champion gymnast and 4-year competitive gymnast at University of Oregon/Corvallis) and son Justin (a senior and 3-year basketball team member at Union High School). After a hard-fought, 3-year battle with colon cancer, Steve transitioned to heaven the morning of Tuesday, February 22, 2016 with his family surrounding his bedside. He will be laid to rest at Floral Haven in Broken Arrow next to his 4-year TU teammate and roommate, Vince Williams. He leaves to cherish special moments of his life his devoted advocate and loving wife, Harriet; children, Brittany and Justin; parents Robert and Susie Harris and younger sister Robin E. Harris of Kansas City, MO; father-in-law Russell Jones, Jr., brother-in-law Rudy Jones (Clover) and sister-in-law Marcia Jones Hayes of Houston, TX; three nephews; a great nephew; eight aunts; seven uncles; numerous “heart” brothers from the Church Without Walls Man Cave Ministry, University of Tulsa and the National Basketball Retired Players Association; and a host of cousins, friends, and basketball family from across the county and especially from his beloved TU. Visitation will be Friday, March 4, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Floral Haven, 6500 S. 129th E. Ave, Broken Arrow, OK 74012. Celebration Service will be held, Saturday, March 5, at 11:00 a.m. at Cedar Ridge Christian Church, 4010 West New Orleans (Located on 101st between Garnett & 129th), Broken Arrow, OK 74011. In lieu of flowers, the family requests expressions to honor Steve and raise awareness about the prevention of colon cancer be made as donations to the Steve “Silk” Harris C.S.L. (Colonoscopies Save Lives) Foundation. (March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month!) More information will be available at www.SteveSilkHarrisFoundation.org.
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