David Lawrence Harris

David Lawrence Harris of Henderson, Maryland, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 9th, 2026. He was 72 years old.

David was born in Dover, Delaware, to the late Lawrence Milton Harris and Joyce Ann Cole Harris. He grew up on the family farm in Henderson, Maryland, where he helped his father milk cows and assisted with various other aspects of the farming operation. As a young man, he was also employed by Saulsbury Brothers in Ridgely, Maryland.

David graduated from North Caroline High School in 1971 and attended Delaware Technical and Community College in Georgetown, Delaware. After college, he was employed by a surveying company, Mccann Surveyors, assisting in surveying property in Sussex County, Delaware.

Realizing farming was his passion, David returned to Henderson, Maryland, and purchased a farm. David knew that diversification was the key to success in the farming field, building four chicken houses on that farm. He raised many flocks of chickens, tilled his own farm, and rented other farms locally to grow tobacco, com, and soybeans. David also owned and operated Harris Custom Mowing where he mowed tax ditches in Maryland and Delaware mowing thousands of miles of ditches in his lifetime. He even designed and fabricated a custom wiper bar, a specialized tractor-mounted tool, for ditch bank maintenance. David partnered with Horn Point Laboratory through the University of Maryland Extension for many projects. He allowed them access to the farm's soil and water for various testing and research. David's farm was a "Best Management Practices Test Farm".

David enjoyed taking care of honey bees and harvesting honey with as many as 15 hives at one time. He was an avid Nascar fan, watching many races at "The Monster Mile." He enjoyed swimming with his grandchildren for many summers at the family pool and spent his extra time hunting, fishing, camping, making cherry wine and beer, and riding four wheelers with friends.

He was a member of the Maryland Farm Bureau and served on the Board of Directors for the Caroline County Soil Conservation District for 30 years.

David married the love of his life, Rose, in 1982 and remained married for 43 years. David and Rose raised three fine children of which he was very proud: Gina Zook (Wayne Bolt), Christopher Harris (Mary) and Jennifer Petroski (Neil). He was lucky enough to spend time with four wonderful grandchildren: Ryan, Doran, Lyla, and Tyler.

David is survived by his immediate family mentioned above; brother, Randy Harris (Nancy); sister, Gayle Gage (John); mother-in-law, Bernice Rogers; brother-in-law, Gordon Rogers; sister-in-law, Tammy Pickett (Jack); and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to give a special thanks to Tonya and Nicole, from Compass Hospice, for the care David received over the last few weeks.

Friends may visit the family from 10:00-11:00 on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at Fleegle and Helfenbein Funeral Home, 106 W. Sunset Avenue, Greensboro, Maryland. Services will be held from 11:00-12:00. Please join us for a gathering at Goldsboro Fire Hall immediately following the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to: Compass Regional Hospice, 160 Coursevall Drive, Centreville, MD 21617 or Caroline County Conservation District, 9194 Legion Road, Suite 3, Denton, MD 21629