Arthur James "Jim" Harris

Arthur James (Jim) Harris, age 97, of Mesa, Arizona, passed away on March 4, 2026. Born on January 13, 1929, in Phoenix, Arizona, to Als Harris and Lilly Agnes Ericksen Harris, Jim followed in his parents’ footsteps and began working at a young age alongside his father at the Arizona Republic and the Phoenix Gazette, where he served as a stereotyper until his retirement in 1991.

A graduate of Phoenix Union High School in 1945, Jim developed a lifelong passion for airplanes. He joined the Phoenix Junior College flying club in 1946 and continued to enjoy flying, with his final flight occurring in 2021. Deeply committed to his faith, he served a two-year mission in Denmark and later, as an airplane mechanic, with the Arizona Air National Guard at Luke Air Force Base. He earned a master’s degree from Arizona State University in 1969 and taught shop classes to high school students while also substituting when opportunities arose. Jim returned to Denmark for a mission with his wife Trina and later served a mission in Salt Lake City with his wife Mary Ann. He found great joy in serving in the family history center, where he specialized in Danish translation, and remained a faithful and regular attendee at the temple until the end of his life.

Jim was remembered as a cheerful, quiet, kind, and gentle man who cherished his family above all. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann (Taylor) Harris; his sons Steven Alan Harris (Cheri), Kenneth Als Harris (Sonja), and Peter Lin Harris (Stephanie); his daughters Lilly Marie (Harris) Stone and Tina Louise (Harris) Shaw (Paul Mitchell Shaw); his stepchildren Janell Jones (Bill), Mike Montgomery, Doug Montgomery (Heather), Dan Montgomery (Krista), and Brian Montgomery (Jessica); along with numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Kathrine (Trina) Ingborg Sorensen Harris, his granddaughter Amy Kathrine Harris, his parents, his brother Lin McMinn Harris, and his sister Sandra Louise Harris Macdonald.