William E. Harris (“Bill”) passed away peacefully on Feb. 2, 2022, after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Bill was born on June 10, 1935, in West Virginia. He would grow up to serve in the United States Army and eventually locate in New York City following his service in the Korean War. Bill built his business career at the Bank of New York where he rose to senior vice president leading the branch office network during the 1980s and early 1990s.
For many years Bill split his time between New York City and Bucks County with Jay Manas, his life partner of more than 30 years. Following Jay’s death in 1994, Bill retired from the Bank of New York and spent increasingly more time at his home in Upper Bucks County. For many years, Bill worked at Variete, a gourmet food store in Frenchtown, N.J. Following Variete’s closing, Bill could be found at The Left Bank (aka The Studio) and The Gourmand Epicerie. Bill was clear that his role as “the local shop girl” (as he called it) was a means to meet new friends, but he still relished in his skills at explaining the latest food trends to tourists and regulars alike and upselling them on whatever was the newest item in stock.
Bill was a master at entertaining. The guest lists for his dinner parties always started with a “lead couple” or two and then would be expanded with guests around that starting point. For decades, many people in Bucks County could trace their friendship back to a Bill Harris dinner party, where cocktail hour always lasted at least one hour. Anyone attempting to sit down for dinner early would hear, “It’s called cocktail HOUR for a reason.”
In more recent years Bill spent increasing time at his seasonal home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he enjoyed long walks along the beach and Saturday lunches with his peers. Back home in Pennsylvania, the Bucks County Playhouse became a favorite outing on Friday evenings.
Bill’s final wish was to die peacefully at Windwood, his home in Upper Black Eddy and the former Guggenheim summer estate. That wish was granted through the tireless efforts and dedication of his dear friend Bill Nolan, who supported Bill through every major transition in his adult life. Special thanks go to the dedicated teamwork and caring devotion of Craig Aravich, Ceylon Gayle, and Lisa Schwartz for helping Bill remain comfortable at home until his passing.
Bill would often say that he was “orphaned twice” (once by his biological parents and once by adoptive parents after he came out as a gay man and moved to NYC after the Korean War), and as a result he cherished what he called his “chosen family.” Bill’s chosen family has been extensive over the years and while many of his dearest friends had passed on before him, Bill was surrounded by the love of his extended chosen family in both Florida and Bucks County.
All who knew Bill can celebrate his life by ordering a “Dewars with a twist” and the “salmon well done” at their next dinner excursion. Friends may also call for a funeral Mass to be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022 at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in New Hope, Pa. Bill will be laid to rest next to his beloved Jay Manas at the Prospect Hill Cemetery in Flemington, N.J., immediately following the service.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Bill’s memory may be made to the Bucks County Playhouse, 70 S. Main Street, New Hope, PA 18938.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Van Horn-McDonough Funeral Home, 21 York Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530 (vhmfh.com).
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