Donate in support of Don Harris and his family

On June 8th, 2023, we were all greatly saddened by the passing of a beloved father, brother, and friend, Don Harris. He was an inspiration, role model, and confidant for many and will be extremely missed beyond what words can express. We’ve already seen the outpouring of love and support you all have shown after his passing and it means the world to our family. Unfortunately, while we did all know this inevitable fate would come much sooner than any of us wanted, it still happened sooner than we expected. And we think it happened a bit sooner than Don expected, too.

He was diagnosed at the beginning of 2022 but managed to beat several doctors’ prognoses for his time remaining. His never-give-up fighting spirit led him to believe he still had more time. While checking off his bucket list with a trip to Brazil (a land he had come to deeply love throughout his life), he succumbed to sudden health complications as a result of his battle with pancreatic cancer.

Unfortunately, Don’s sudden passing prevented him from preparing for his end-of-life affairs. As we work to pick up the pieces left behind, we’re realizing what a long and hard road still lies ahead.

We are starting this fund to raise money for Don's medical bills and for supporting his son, Brian, with the significant expenses incurred throughout this entire process. Some of the expenses include flying to Brazil to prepare and transport his remains, multiple trips to Connecticut to clear out and repair his house, recurring mortgage and property taxes, attorney fees, etc. Lawyers have told us this process is likely to take over a year to get fully sorted out, so the expenses will add up quickly for Brian as he juggles this, along with his life in California, and a soon-to-arrive baby girl (Don’s first grandchild) set to join the family in November.

We also plan on putting together a Celebration of Life Jam Session in Don’s honor, and we’d like to use some of the contributions here to also go towards that.

NOTE: Brian has pledged that any additional money raised in this fund, beyond what is needed to cover expenses related to settling Don’s estate or his celebration of life party, will be donated to Pancreatic Cancer Research.