Established in 1965 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Cyrus Harris Sr. started Harris Insurance with countless hopes and dreams for the future. Fifty six years later and those hopes and dreams are still as fervent as they once were, but are now being carried out by Cy’s family in his honor. It is with great sadness that we report that Cy Harris Sr. passed away surrounded by his wife, family, and loved ones on September 1, 2021.
Cy has been retired for quite some time but he always loved discussing the business with his family. Cy’s legacy at Harris Insurance is carried out by his three sons: Whit, Gerard, and Seamus Harris, and two of his grandchildren, Garrett Harris and Natalie Schmidt. We are all proud of the fact that the business that started in Downtown Fort Walton Beach has now grown to expand across the entire state and has earned national industry recognition including most recently, the 2020 Southeast Agent for the Future Award as well as 50 Best Companies to Watch in 2021 by CIO Bulletin and multiple industry features on Yahoo! Finance.
Cy’s full obituary and information for his Celebration of Life can be found here. We are always touched by clients and friends that come to the office and tell us how they know Cy. Whether it be remembering him from when he played Football at Choctawhatchee High School, or they remember buying insurance from him upon their arrival to The Panhandle and earned a life-long friend along with their policy. A personal favorite is when a grandson came in with his grandfather to get his first homeowners policy. The grandfather was taking his grandson to “Harris Insurance & a celebration lunch.”
We are proud of the history of Harris Insurance and are excited to see what the future holds. We thank everyone for their kind words, thoughts, and prayers during this difficult time. Our office will be closed on Thursday, September 9th to allow our family and staff to attend the funeral services. We will reopen for normal business hours at 8:30 AM on Friday, September 10th, 2021.
Cyrus Harris Sr 1937-2021
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
Views expressed here do not constitute legal advice. The information contained herein is for general guidance of matter only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. Discussion of insurance policy language is descriptive only. Every policy has different policy language. Coverage afforded under any insurance policy issued is subject to individual policy terms and conditions. Please refer to your policy for the actual language.
