Lt. Col. Edward Riley Harrison, U.S. Army (Ret.), 75, of Taylors, SC, husband of Eileen Mary Burke Harrison for 42 years, died Monday, June 11, 2012, at his home in Taylors after a long illness during which he was nursed by his wife and the dedicated team from the Interim Hospice. He was born in Columbus, MS, son of the late E.R. and Ethel Harrison. Upon graduation from the Citadel in 1959, he began a career as an Ordnance Officer in the U.S. Army during which he served in Missile Development at Cape Canaveral and later in Germany and Vietnam where he was awarded the Bronze Star. He was a member of The Ancient Order of Hibernians. After leaving the Army he moved to Taylors and was employed by the Michelin Tire Company as a Quality Statistician until his retirement. Ed converted to the Catholic faith early in his marriage and considered himself both fortunate and blessed. He was a parishioner of Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Taylors. Throughout his life, Ed loved music and learned to play many instruments starting with the banjo. He was particularly attracted to the Irish Uilleann pipes and was one of the first to take up this instrument in South Carolina. For a time he also played the Scottish bagpipes with the Piedmont Highlanders. If you visited Ed’s home you would hear the pipes or the banjo. While he didn’t consider himself an excellent musician, when he had the banjo or pipes in his hand he had a big smile on his face. Ed loved dogs and Eileen and he owned a number during their long marriage. His last dog, MacDuff, a Scottish terrier, never left his side and slept by his bed until his final moments. Ed is survived by his wife and by two older sisters, Betty Eason, of Greenville, MS, and Dorothy Braddon, of Fairborn, OH; and a brother, Ernest Harrison, Plano, TX. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, June 15, 2012, at Prince of Peace Catholic Church. Inurnment will follow in Woodlawn Memorial Park. Thomas McAfee Funeral Home, Downtown. Tags: 1959
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