William Preston Harris

William Preston “Billy” Harris, 91, of Lynchburg, died peacefully at home on the morning of December 22, 2024. He was surrounded by his family.

Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Billy grew up in Lynchburg and graduated from E.C. Glass High School. He earned a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia and briefly studied medicine there. (As he said, he made a major contribution to the medical field by getting out of it.) After working for the brokerage firm of Halsey Stuart for several years in Virginia and New York, he earned his law degree from Washington and Lee University. He worked for three years as Lynchburg’s Assistant Commonwealth Attorney, then built his own firm, Harris, Black and Allen. He also served as a Federal Magistrate for this region. He practiced law for decades, specializing in criminal defense work. When asked what aspect of criminal law he most enjoyed, he replied, “criminals.”

Billy Harris had an enormous heart, a clever, witty mind, and a sense of comic timing like no other. He traveled the world for as long as possible, even visiting the Amazon earlier this year. Wherever he went—preferably aboard a watercraft—he spread laughter and good cheer. Billy always looked for ways to celebrate the individual and the idiosyncratic. His curiosity knew no bounds.

After retiring from full-time legal work in his late fifties, he began an art practice, drawing what he called “his imaginary people.” To the delight of his wife Betty, he studied printmaking at area colleges and filled more than forty-two sketchbooks with his brilliant and hilarious characters.

At five years old, Billy received a box of magic tricks and there commenced a lifetime calling—and a source of entertainment for many. By his teens, he was giving birthday-party shows for hire. He developed what he called “comedy magic,” performing throughout the Lynchburg community. Through dedicated study, he became an accomplished prestidigitator, pulling quarters out of ears worldwide. He was a member of The Society of American Magicians, the International Brotherhood of Magicians, The Magic Circle, and other related organizations. Magic history and paranormal occurrences fascinated him. He kept a photograph of a ghost in his desk drawer.

Billy adored tennis, running, and, more recently, yoga. He competed in five Lynchburg Ten-Milers. He spent many a happy day in the Blue Ridge Mountains where he lovingly maintained a family retreat and kept a goat herd for years. Thanks to Billy, a long family tradition of ham-curing continued for decades and has been passed on to the next generation.

Billy was a dedicated humanitarian and a friend of Bill W. He befriended many who struggle. He was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church where he served on the Vestry and as Senior Warden. He also attended The Church of the Covenant where he appreciated the spontaneous diversity of the service. He established the Harry D. Forsyth Foundation for the betterment of the individual. He served on the board of the Miller Home and the Anne Spencer House and Garden Museum, and strongly supported The Jubilee Family Development Center. He was a longtime board member of Camp Kum-Ba-Yah, founded by the late Reverend Beverly Cosby, his close friend and mentor.

Fishing was Billy’s passion. He wanted to wet a line wherever he went. He angled for billfish in the Gulfstream, bonefish in the Florida Keys, sailfish in Mexico, for bass and trout and anything that bit on the James. He stood for hours upon hours casting into the surf on the Outer Banks, often (and contentedly) catching nothing. His patience was rewarded, however, when he hooked a 45-pound striped bass on Thanksgiving Day, 1997. As he once said, “The wider the water, the greater the mystery.” 

Billy is predeceased by his parents, Annie Frank Preston Harris and Stuart Horsley Harris, and his brother, Stuart Horsley Harris, Jr., and his sister-in-law, Marie Woody Harris.

He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of sixty-four years, Elizabeth “Betty” Forsyth Harris of Lynchburg; his three daughters: Elizabeth Logan Harris (Mark Fox); Ann Frank “Frankie” Harris Slaughter (Steve); Lyall Forsyth Harris; and his four granddaughters: Preston Caravati Slaughter; Annie Lyall Slaughter; Isabella Grace Ronchetti; and Savia Forsyth Ronchetti. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law, Elsie Forsyth Chambers (Bill, deceased) and Nancy Forsyth Sykes (Bob), as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The family is very grateful for the wonderful caregivers at the Lynchburg General Hospital, Centra Hospice, and BrightStar.

A memorial service will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 605 Clay St., Lynchburg on Monday, December 30, 2024, at 3:00 PM. 

If you wish to make a memorial gift, please consider Camp Kum-Ba-Yah, 4415 Boonsboro Rd., Lynchburg VA 24503.

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Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family.