Harris, Austin
HARRIS, Austin McKenzie
It is with a deep sense sadness that we announce the passing of Austin Harris on May 7, 2023, due to complications from Heart Transplant surgery. He was a very brave person who endured multiple procedures and open-heart surgeries in a quest to have a normal life after he was born on July 15, 1987 with a congenital heart defect. He attended Atlanta neighborhood and private schools and graduated with an Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice from Gwinnett Technical College. Austin's passions were evident early on in life with a love of fire safety, security, first aid, and weather awareness. He volunteered with Dekalb and Henry counties teaching classes to the public in Community Emergency Response (CERT), Emergency Management, and Autism Awareness for emergency responders. Austin was as dedicated to his volunteer work as many are to their own careers. Austin volunteered because he wanted to "give back" for all the support he had received during his life. Family and friends were very important to Austin and he loved to be creative cooking meals for family and friends. He collected recipes to discuss with Mom, sometimes on late night phone calls. Austin had a wide field of interests and as a family, we had many interesting discussions during supper. Austin, throughout his life, always trusted his Emory medical teams (Egleston and Adult Congenital Heart) to provide effective state of the art medical care for him, and they were excellent in providing exceptional personal care and comfort. Austin is survived by his parents, Becky and David Harris; sister, Caroline Harris; brother, Derek Davis; as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins in Georgia and Texas; and his many other friends to treasure his memory. He requested no service at his passing, but to have a celebration of his life at a future date to be determined. For anyone wishing to send a memorial in his name, Austin's favorites were Omega Support Center, moreinfo@omegasupportcenter.org, or Emory Congenital Heart group 1365 Clifton Rd., NE Bldg A, 2233, Atlanta, GA 30322.
