Lee County coroner, retired East Alabama Medical Center official Bill Harris dies

Mark Rice
·2 min read
Bill Harris, the Lee County, Alabama coroner, talks about the devastating tornado that struck Beauregard, Alabama on March 3, 2019, killing 23 people.

Lee County coroner Bill Harris has died.

Harris, 67, died in his sleep while on vacation with his family in Florida, Lee County deputy coroner Brad Whetstone told the Ledger-Enquirer.

The cause of death is considered natural but undetermined, Whit Majors, director of operations at the Bay County (Florida) Medical Examiner’s office told the L-E.

“Nothing suspicious,” he said.

Harris was pronounced dead at 9:56 a.m. Wednesday in his room at the Aquavista Condominiums in Panama City Beach, Majors said.

Harris’ wife found him unresponsive when she woke up Wednesday morning, Whetstone said.

Although he was diagnosed with throat cancer this year and was undergoing chemotherapy, his prognosis was “very good,” Whetstone said. Still, he was diabetic and in poor health, Whetstone said.

“The doctor told him he was under a lot of stress and ordered him to relax on the beach,” Whetstone said.

Harris served as Lee County coroner for 24 years — the same length of time he worked as the EMS supervisor at East Alabama Medical Center before retiring in 2016.

In the wake of the 2019 tornado that killed 23 people in Beauregard, Alabama, Harris received national attention for his handling of the aftermath.

A year later, in an interview with the L-E marking the anniversary of the tragedy, Harris explained why he didn’t let families view the bodies of their loved ones amid the destruction.

“I just don’t want somebody to have to remember the situation of how they died and the circumstances,” he said. “If I can spare them any pain whatsoever, we’re going to do that.”

That doesn’t surprise Whetstone.

“Bill always was compassionate to families he dealt with and took care of,” Whetstone said. “. . . I don’t know anybody at all that would say anything bad about Bill. He was just a nice guy all around. He was a great person.”

Austin Bayles, EMS manager at East Alabama Medical Center, called Harris dedicated to serving the community.

“He was very passionate about his job with EMS and his position as Lee County Coroner,” Bayles, who worked with Harris for 18 years, told the L-E in an email. “He had a true servant heart and will be missed by many.”

Harris was up for re-election this year, running unopposed for another four-year term as the Republican nominee. The Republican National Committee will appoint someone to replace him on the November ballot, Whetstone said.

Funeral arrangements were unavailable.