Harry Walker Wellford

1924 - 2021

Harry Walker Wellford

Harry Walker Wellford, a third-generation Memphian and long-time federal district and appellate court judge, died peacefully at home surrounded by family and friends on April 17, 2021, at the age of 96.

Harry is survived by his five children and their spouses: Harry Jr. (Hal) and Amanda Wellford, Beasley Wellford, Buckner Wellford, and Jennifer Wellford Sink, Kate Wellford Gould and Allison and Tommy Parker, along with a horde of grandchildren and three (soon to be four) great-grandchildren. His extended family includes his younger sisters Julia Wellford Allen (Ray) and Mary Wellford Ford (Bill). His spouse of 63 years, Katherine, and an older sister, Roberta Wellford West, predeceased him.

Harry was born on August 6, 1924. He attended Snowden Elementary School and Central High School before receiving a scholarship to the Choate School in Connecticut. He attended college during World War II while participating in the innovative V-12 program funded by the United States Navy, which paid for his college education while shuttling him from Washington & Lee to Cornell to the University of North Carolina.

Following graduation from Midshipman's School he shipped out to the Pacific Theatre, where he was briefly exposed to the hellish Kamikaze attacks on the Naval fleet off Okinawa and participated in a destroyer raid that was one of the few direct attacks on coastal military targets in Northern Japan to occur before the War's end. After the War, he graduated from Washington & Lee and obtained his law degree from Vanderbilt.

Harry was deservedly proud of his military service. His favorite song was "Eternal Father Strong to Save," more commonly known as "The Navy Hymn."

He was also a man of deep and abiding faith, expressing it most clearly through a lifelong association with Idlewild Presbyterian Church, where his grandfather chaired the Building Committee, which ultimately led to the construction of the beautiful and historic landmark building located in the heart of Midtown Memphis. Harry was three years old when the church was finished. His association with Idlewild started then and never stopped. His service included Deacon, Elder and Clerk of the Session, a representative of the Memphis Synod of the Presbytery, the Chair of the Budget Committee, and Chair of the Recreational Committee, which started Idlewild down the path of making community outreach through recreational facilities a core function of the institution. He even sang in the choir for a few years, enthusiastically if not proficiently.

Prior to a long and influential judicial career, he was a successful lawyer and active community leader. He was a member of the bi-racial, influential Memphis Community Relations Committee along with other civic-minded community leaders such as Lucius Burch, Lewis Donelson, and Jesse Turner. He became a leader in the then nascent Republican Party in Shelby County. He managed the West Tennessee campaign of Howard Baker, who later recommended Harry for appointment to the federal district court, and later, to the Court of Appeals.

Harry also served as the statewide campaign manager for his long-time friend Winfield Dunn, who in 1970 became the first Republican elected governor in Tennessee in 60 years. Unable to leave his law practice after Dunn won the Republican primary, Harry hired a young up and coming political associate of Senator Baker - Lamar Alexander - to run the general campaign.

As a federal judge, Harry presided over his share of high-profile matters. A national magazine covering one of them described Harry, a bit dismissively, as "short, handsome, athletic - a Nixon appointee."

He was all of those things. Harry was also smart, well read, highly opinionated, and extremely likable. He could be a tough taskmaster, as young lawyers appearing in his courtroom during his early years on the bench would attest, but even lawyers experiencing the occasional outburst liked him. As did his colleagues on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, including those with a much different judicial philosophy and with whom he often disagreed.

Harry had a lot of other interests, including tennis and golf. He won the 45 and over State championship in tennis and a number of local and regional tournaments in the 55 and over category. He enjoyed a regular, boisterous, weekly Saturday game with a group of friends. His golf game was more problematic, bringing to mind the adage that the game is "a good walk spoiled."

Harry and his bride of 63 years, Katherine, loved to travel. They enjoyed their periodic excursions to Europe, but particularly loved visiting Harry's younger sister Mary and her family in Michigan. For years, during the summer months, the extended Wellford family rented cottages at Castle Park, a small community on the shore of Lake Michigan, which is still an (almost) annual tradition in the extended Wellford family. Throughout the year, but particularly at Castle Park, Harry and Katherine doted on their grandchildren, watching them participate in annual Fourth of July games, enjoying themselves on the beach, and playing highly competitive card and board games, which usually resulted in the grandparents claiming victory. Rumors of the grandparents occasionally skirting the edges of propriety when it came to the rules have never been confirmed. The judge loved his grandchildren, but he was a competitor through and through.

Harry liked to call his spouse "Katherine the Great." They had a marriage to envy, supporting each other through thick and thin until Katherine passed away on Christmas Eve, 2014. A forceful personality and engaging storyteller with a great sense of humor, Katherine ran the show in the Wellford household. That was fine with Harry. Her passing left a giant void. It would have been understandable, even expected, that the then 91-year-old Harry would have quietly faded away.

But Harry had a zest for life, and he persevered. After moving to an apartment at a senior living facility (Trezevant Manor) in 2015, he quickly rekindled relationships with long-time friends and acquaintances from years past and thoroughly enjoyed his remaining years.

Harry's friends and relationships in these final years are too many to recount here, but one in particular stands apart: Peggy Jemison Bodine. A remarkably accomplished and vibrant personality in her own right, Peggy and Harry shared a special bond. Their shared recollections and interests, mutual friends, and thorough enjoyment of each other's company were a defining aspect of Harry's final few years.

He also deepened ties with a cousin by marriage, Bob Turner, who regularly visited, took Harry to lunch, and played cards with him. He continued to do this even as Harry's health slowly failed during his final months. To the end, Bob Turner and his amazing wife Shirley had a special place in Harry's heart.

The same goes for David Howard, who met Harry only two years ago but spent innumerable hours when COVID lockdown issues necessitated Harry staying with his daughter Kate. David also provided physical and emotional support during Harry's difficult last few weeks.

The family would also like to acknowledge and express our profound appreciation for the wonderful caregivers and friends who took such great care of Harry during his time at Trezevant, and which enabled him to enjoy his time there while maintaining an independent and active lifestyle. Gloria Larry, Linda Smith, Leona Hayes, Willie McCalleum, Irene Williams, and Ellen Davidson, who organized Harry's day to day medications and activities - are the best.

We are admittedly biased, but most people who met him would agree that Harry was a decent, humble man who lived an extraordinary life. It was action packed, filled with personal and professional accomplishments, and relatively free of pain and discomfort until the end. The end, through God's will, arrived within weeks of falling ill, with enough time for friends and family to say final farewells.

Near the end, family members were comforted, after days of not speaking intelligibly, to hear Harry recite back the final line of the twenty-third stanza of the Book of Psalms as it was read to him in his last days: "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Harry Wellford lived his life according to the Biblical directive found at Micah 6:8 to "do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God." He and his life partner Katherine are now together in the arms of the Lord. We rejoice in the life and times of this extraordinary man and will do what we can to honor his legacy.

Following a private burial at Elmwood Cemetery on Monday, April 26, a memorial service celebrating Harry's life will be held at Idlewild Presbyterian Church, 1750 Union Avenue, at 2:30 p.m. COVID protocols will be in place. Those wishing to attend the memorial service must pre-register; registration details may be found at https://idlewildchurch.org/registration/ .

The service will also be live-streamed at http://livestream.com/idlewild. In lieu of flowers, Memorials may be directed to Idlewild Presbyterian Church, St. Mary's Episcopal School, or a charity of the donor's choice.