Jay Hector Harris IV

Jay Hector Harris IV, 87, of Northfield, MN, passed away on February 21, 2024, of heart failure after a short hospital stay in Abbott Hospital, Minneapolis.

Jay was born on February 9, 1937, to Jay Hector Harris III and Evelyn Roland (Poat) Harris in Memphis, TN. Jay attended Sacred Heart Elementary School and Catholic Boys School in Memphis, then studied Violin and Conducting at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. After graduating with a BA and MA in Music Education, Jay spent six months in the US Army. He then moved to Albuquerque, NM, where he taught public school orchestras, conducted the Albuquerque Youth Symphony, and was director of the Albuquerque Civic Light Opera. He later moved to Minnesota and taught orchestra in Roseville, MN, public schools as well as conducting Minnesota Youth Symphony orchestras for several years. He enjoyed producing and directing numerous musicals at Roseville High School, was guest conductor for several community orchestras in the Twin Cities area, and conducted church choirs in White Bear Lake, MN, and Hopkins, MN.

After completing training at Control Data, Jay was employed by Cargill in Minnetonka, MN, where he worked in IT Operations Research.

Jay actively enjoyed skiing as well as ice skating, rollerblading, and bicycling, particularly around the beautiful lakes of Minneapolis. Jay and his son Doug bicycled two long-distance trips: in 1978 from St. Paul, MN, to St. Louis, MO, and in 2006 the "End to End" trip from Land's End (Cornwall, UK) to Scotland.

Upon his retirement from Cargill, Jay and his wife Dorothy sold their house in Minneapolis and purchased "Second to the Right," a 50-foot ketch on the East Coast of the United States. They sailed the Atlantic and the Caribbean together for a year and a half, returning to reside in Minneapolis. They then lived in Rio Rancho, NM, before moving back to Minnesota for health reasons.

Jay was preceded in death by his parents: Jay Hector Harris III and Evelyn Roland (Poat) Harris, and three sisters: Erin Harris, Joan (Henry) Zurhellen, and Evelyn Patricia (James) Severns.

Jay is survived by his loving wife, Dorothy; daughters Rachel (Robert) Mazzullo and Jennifer (Dan) Cassin; sons Jay H Harris V and Douglas Alexander Harris; stepsons Andrew (Heidi) Paulson and Samuel (Paty) Paulson; grandchildren Ben, Olivia, Noah, Layla, and Meadow; great-granddaughter Emelia.

Memorials may be sent to Hummingbird Music Camp in New Mexico or the Minnesota Youth Symphony.