William A. "Big Red" Harris was born November 7, 1930 in Meridian Mississippi where he lived until the age of ten years old. He then moved with his family to East St. Louis Illinois. At age 15 William enlisted in the U.S. Army during WWII. William's true age was discovered on the troop ship before the launch of a beach assault and he was discharged honorably with military veteran status. "Big Red" as he was called by those who knew him, found work in booming construction field in East St. Louis. Hauling bricks locally in Missouri and Illinois lead to long days working in the hot sun which gave him a reddish appearance. His daughter Delphine recalls riding with her dad and brother Dayland and sister Gail as children to deliver bricks to Kansas City during the warm St. Louis summers. During that era brick haulers would have to load and unload bricks on their own to make a living. William would eventually be promoted into concrete paving on sky-scrapers and various road projects. William retired from the construction lifestyle due to a mild stroke, he took this time to reconnect with family and friends. Known as "Daddy Red" by his granddaughters, William would drive from E St. Louis to St. Louis daily to pick them up for school and return later that afternoon to drop them off.

William left this world on December 23, 2018 at the beautiful age of 88 years old. He was preceded in life by his parents Carlton Day and Eula Day-Harris, and beloved son Dayland Harris. He leaves to cherish his memory a daughter Delphine (Reginald) Pierce, two granddaughters Kenya Walton and Kiedra Tyson, and a great grandson Kaleb Tyson. Also a sister Mamie Hamilton, two nieces Pat (Mike) Johnson, Jennette Harris, one great nephew Chris (Tiffany) Johnson, and a great niece Kim (Lamar) Butler. William also leaves family members and friends nationwide, especially those he bonded with at the corner of 15th & Piggott.