Annual report: Remembrance and love
July 1, 2026Richard and Sherrie Harris
While Fred Harris’s life was tragically short, it was also incredibly full. Fred was a talented artist and musician with perfect pitch. He liked to paint with his grandmother, tell jokes, and be on stage at the cystic fibrosis camp he attended in the summer.
“He was kind of a ham,” said Richard Harris, Fred’s father. “In the hospital, the nurses and therapists would come and banter with him. He was just a delightful child.”
As a way to honor Fred, Richard and his wife Sherrie created two funds at the Community Foundation to support things Fred loved. “We knew we wanted to honor Fred and his accomplishments where he spent many of his 13 years,” said Sherrie. “We also wanted to highlight his love for music, art, and theater.”
Sherrie and Richard created the Frederick Harris Memorial Funds for the Dogwood Center and the Newaygo County Council for the Arts. The funds are especially focused on supporting youth programming. “The arts are so important, and that’s what Fred loved,” said Sherrie. “The arts enriched his life, and it is important to us that other young people experience its magic.”
“It’s part of Fred’s legacy,” added Richard. “He loved life, and he made mine so special. I was privileged to be his father.”
