Kenneth Richard (Rick) Harris Jr. was born in Clearwater, Florida on March 14, 1956, to Charlotte and Kenneth Harris Sr. Rick passed away on October 18, 2026, in Durango, Colorado, where he and Laurel had recently moved. Rick grew up with his sisters and cousins in Safety Harbor roaming the woods, building forts, and riding their horses, Poco and Loco. He often told stories about how Loco would try to knock him off by running along the fence line. Rick worked for a time in an orange packing plant, long before the days of the six lanes of McMullen Booth Road. From a young age, he was a true Florida cowboy and Gulf of Mexico pirate.

Rick later moved to St. Petersburg, Florida where he worked for many years at All Air Conditioning Supplies. It was while working there that he met his future wife, Laurel (Laurie) Peterson. They were set up on a successful blind date at one of the infamous All Air Fourth of July parties at Henry and Judy’s cabin in Floral City. The two started their lives together and were rarely apart. The employees and owners of All Air became lifelong friends.

A few years later, Rick and Laurel married on a boat near Little Pine Key and then spent the rest of their wedding day snorkeling and enjoying the beautiful October day. Shortly after, Rick opened his own shop, Rick’s Auto Air and Radiator Service. He was the type of guy who never stopped working, if not at the shop, at home in their yard. Many of the frangipani, bromeliads, and birds of paradise he planted are still thriving today. In his spare time, Rick, a Pisces, was on or near the water, fishing, diving for lobster, scalloping, and grilling his most recent fresh catch.

Rick was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, son, and friend. He was a friend to anyone who knew him and one of the kindest men you could ever meet. He was giving, loving, funny, and truly handsome, inside and out. His legacy lives on through his wife, Laurel (Laurie) Harris; mother, Charlotte Harris; sister, Terry (John) Garton; daughter, E. Allison Harris; grandchildren, Mya Nowicki, Cece Nowicki, and Otto Nowicki; and his great-granddaughter, Juniper Nowicki. Dale Bertoni, his first wife and mother of his child, remained a friend of Rick and the family. In addition to the named family members, Rick is survived by numerous cousins, aunts, and uncles.

There is no service planned, but there will be a celebration of his life in early 2027 in Florida, near the water he loved so much—a fitting way to return this Pisces to the sea. He was much loved and he will be missed by all who knew him.