CARMEL, IN
On Sunday, March 19th Doug Harris 62, of Carmel IN. passed away but not before he was able to spend St. Patrick’s Day surrounded by his family, eating pizza and watching college basketball.
Doug was born April 30, 1960 in Muncie, IN the son of Darryl (preceded in death) and Janet Reid (Harris). Brother to two sisters, who no doubt unfairly picked on him through no fault of his own, older sister DeAnn (married Dave Ruoff) and younger sister Dana (married John Linder).
Trading in his Trans Am for a minivan, Doug married the love of his life, Jan Harris (Jackson) on August 10th, 1991, becoming the perfect husband, and an amazing father and role model for her three boys, Joseph Greiner (wife Hayley), Malachi Greiner (wife Leanne), and Zach Greiner (wife Caitie) and their two children Chase Harris (wife Nikki) and MacKenzie Mitchell (husband Corbin). Doug left behind four loving grandchildren Liam Greiner and Reese Greiner (Joseph and Hayley), Harrison Greiner and AJ Greiner (Zach and Caitie), with MacKenzie and Corbin expecting to add a grandchild in July of this year.
Doug graduated from Northside high school in 1978, and then attended Ball State University where he received his BS in 1982 and his MBA from the Miller School of Business in 1987. Doug went on to graduate from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2000 and received the Credit Union Executive Society CEO institute training at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business while simultaneously advancing his career. Always a proponent of continually educating himself, Doug could be found at his desk constantly reading and consuming information. He often shared with others (often unsolicited but always welcomed) things he found interesting which were always thoroughly highlighted and noted with his distinct handwriting.
Doug dove head first into banking and began climbing the corporate ladder in 1985 at First Merchants Bank in Muncie, IN. In 2001 Doug headed South to Columbus, IN with his family to fill the roles of Senior VP and CFO at Centra Credit Union before being promoted to President. In 2015 he served as President &CEO of Land of Lincoln Credit Union in Decatur, IL before moving East to Maryland in 2018 where he finished his career as Senior VP and CFO for Tower Federal Credit Union. It cannot be understated that Doug was a true friend and mentor to all who had the pleasure of working with him which was evident in the number of people who reached out to him during his battle with brain cancer.
Ben Franklin once said, “In this world, nothing is certain, except death and taxes.” It’s the silver lining in his passing knowing that Doug is happy in heaven knowing he no longer has to worry about either of these. Doug was fond of sharing his thoughts on how inept the government was, ways they could improve, and always wishing that they adopted more private sector tools.
Doug’s passion for financial literacy and responsibility was passed onto his children who, albeit reluctantly, had to sit through several family meetings where graphs, charts, and pro forma were used to discuss monthly budgets, plan family vacations, and help us kids understand the value of a dollar.
It wasn’t always business with the “Rule Man”. Doug had a goofy and fun-loving side that perfectly contrasted his suit and tie 9-5. Outside of work, Doug could often be found wearing one of his several iconic tracksuits, planning family game nights, jamming out to his extensive iTunes library, or setting up trick-shot basketball contests. One of the founders of the Muncie Baseball and Softball Association, Doug had a real passion for sports. Doug enjoyed the competition whether it was a friendly game in the church softball league, playing in a tennis tournament, or spending hours on the course and at the range perfecting his golf swing (side note he didn’t). This passion passed on to his children, all of which have followed in his passion for sports.
Doug was a thoughtful and loving husband, father, and friend and will be missed deeply. Family and friends are invited to gather on Tuesday, March 28 from 2-4 pm at Flanner Buchanan-Carmel, where a service celebrating Doug’s life will begin at 4:00pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to “Semper Fi &America’s Fund” at www.thefund.org or to really honor him be more financially responsible and increase your 401k or IRA contribution. Please visit www.flannerbuchanan.com to sign the online guest register.
