Billy Wayne Harless, Jr.

August 25, 1964 ~ April 29, 2018
Resided in:
Arlington, Virginia
Billy Wayne Harless, Jr., 53, of Arlington, VA, lost his battle with depression on Sunday, April 29, 2018.
Born in Valdosta, GA, he was the son of Linda (Lowe) Harless of Fletcher, and the late Billy Wayne Harless, Sr.
He was an Information Technology Consultant for the National Security Council assigned to the White House, having served under three administrations.
Billy was a graduate of Eastern Wayne High School and was a US Coast Guard veteran, having served 15 years before his honorable discharge.
An Ironman triathlete, Billy was a member of the Annapolis Triathlon Club, and enjoyed throwing darts. A high school wrestler, Billy also coached wrestling in Maryland for the Boys and Girls Club. He was very proud of his work and personal accomplishments.
In addition to his mother, Billy is survived by three sons: Billy Wayne Harless III, Derek Harless and Jared Harless; daughter, Kristi Harless; sister, Tisa Harless Futch and her husband Jeff; nephews, Jefferson and Jackson Harless Futch; girlfriend, Sarah McEntee; a number of aunts and uncles; and his beloved rescues: dog, Jethro and three cats: Sweet Pea, Baby Cat, and Shiloh.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Billy’s memory may be made to Brother Wolf Animal Rescue online at www.bwar.org; or to K-9 Life Savers online at www.k-9lifesavers.org (direct links below listed under "Charities").
Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian is assisting the family.
Billy your smile will be missed. I know Jesus has his arms around you❤️
RIP Billy, fellow EWHS warrior Class of ’82’ and military veteran. My prayers go out to you family at this time of great loss.
To us, Billy was the ultimate Nats fan, triathlete extraordinaire, and the other half to my sister. He brought her so much joy and love and life. I wish we had known the depths to which he was struggling inside. We would have done anything to help him.
To his children, sister, mother and the rest of his family – I am so sorry for your loss.
I love you so much, Dad!
So sad. We will miss your being on this earth, sweet one. Wish I could have spent more time with and around you. Tell my brother, Bill, hello for me when you get to heaven.
What an amazing man. You’ll be missed. To Billy’s family, friends and especially Sarah, please know Billy is resting in the arms of our precious Jesus. God’s grace is sufficient.
Man I wish we hung out more, thank you for the memories bro, but I am happy to meet and see so many people in your life, I am sorry for your families loss and for the loss of a great person.
I had the honor of serving with Billy in the US Coast Guard on the Cutter Northwind and Cutter Chilula. It was an honor to have served with you at sea and you were a great shipmate.
Billy’s family and friends are in my prayers.
RIP Shipmate!
Praying for everyone that is connected to Billy. Especially his family may God grant you with peace, comfort, understanding, healing, and love at this difficult time and the days to come.
The class of 82 is getting smaller in numbers. But our love and support is still strong in our large heart for each other/our classmates.
To the Harless Family, I wrestled with Billy at Eastern Wayne High for 2 years and developed a strong bond as a teammate to a guy that was not only a good wrestler but a good leader! Billy taught me how to be graceful in defeat and enjoy each win as not only a personal achievement but a team achievement! I served my country just as Billy did and it takss a very special person to sign up to serve their country and know at anytime we could be called up to defend our freedom! Billy served honorably and thank God for people like him! I stayed in touch with Billy over the years and I would always love it when I saw the adventures of him and Jethro! They truly had a special bond! I will miss Billy but want you to know I’m proud of him for his accomplishments and those of us who he touched hopefully will carry on what he taught us! RIP Billy, you were a true Warrior!!!
Rest In Peace my brother. Prayers to Harless family. Hoping you find comfort in God’s love and forgiveness.
Our Prayers of Healing and Comfort go out to Billy’s Family and Friends. Billy was a fellow classmate and wrestler in High School and a good Friend. He will truly be missed, but his memory and influence he had on others will surely live on.
God bless my sweet young cousin, Billy. You were such an inspiration to us all. I’m so happy I got to see you and Sarah in Charleston in December. Though we spoke online a lot, I wish I could have done more to help you. You will be terribly missed here on earth. I can only hope your dad and my mom are there with you now to help you over to the spirit realm. I love you all!
Prayers to you and your family. May you be at peace and at rest. God bless you, you will not be forgotten.
Dear Linda, Sherry and I are so saddened to hear of your loss. We will have you in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
My prayers and thoughts go out to Billy’s Family, Friends and Pets that loved him. He was truly a great guy and amazing athlete. I loved watching him wrestle with his determination to be the best he could be and help others to achieve their goals. It was always great to chat about triathlons and find out what was on his racing schedule, In hopes I might be at the same one so we could cheer for each other. Thanks for being a special friend and every finish line I cross I will think of you a true Warrior.
RIP my old friend, we first meet in the Coast Guard on the CGC Chilula and spent many days underway together. Times in Key West sitting on the balcony at the Bull people watching, to seeing U2 in San Francisco when we were in ‘A’ school. That tap, tap, tap on the window at the old Morehead City bowling ally. You will be missed but never forgotten
This world has lost a great man. His accomplishments are amazing and he will be missed by all that knew and loved him. I pray for his wonderful mother, Linda, sister Tisa and the entire family. May he finally find the peace he was searching for. God be with you all.
I lived in Billy’s house with him for a year in 2015 when I was 22 years old. He was my best friend for that year. He introduced me to all of his friends, darts, Jethro, and a lot of other stuff in Maryland. He gave me great advice and taught me a lot of lessons. This is so heartbreaking. I will miss him very much and my prayers and condolences go out to his family.
I am do incredably sad to hear of Billy’s passing. It seems so out of character for this accomplished man of character. Lord God bless his family, friends and animals. Who he touched. He was a great human.
I love you Babe. I’ll never forget you.
I met Billy when I was a sophomore at Eastern Wayne and he was a senior. After becoming fast friends we started dating. He was my first real boyfriend and I have wonderful memories of our two years together….the prom, wrestling meets, Chowan college, dominoes pizza, Jefferson street, red Toyota Corolla, then he left out for the coast guard. We lost touch over time but the good memories have never faded. I had the privilege of speaking with him over the years just to catch up. I never knew the heavy burdens he carried. Depression is definitely an illness that claims lives every day. I am so sorry that he lost this fight as he had overcome so many adversities and challenges. He grew to be a strong, impressive leader and am saddened that the world has lost him.
To Linda Harless and Tisa Harless, I’m not sure that you remember me but I’ve never forgotten you. I am sorry for your loss. Please know that you and your families are in my thoughts and prayers. I will always remember his smile and his kind heart. May God be with you, embrace you, and provide you with peace and comfort.
With much love,
I’m so shocked by this when I heard. I never knew.
We became friends at Eastern Wayne High School. Later on he gave me his tickets to a Redskins game so I can take my sons and my nephew. R.I.P my friend. God Bless your family and your soul
Please join us in the Chesapeake Room at Downs Park, 8311 John Downs Loop, Pasadena, MD 21122 to celebrate the life of Billy Wayne Harless, Jr. A eulogy will be given at 3:00pm. All are welcome.
Light refreshments will be served. Please contact Sarah McEntee at (703) 447-1446 with any questions.
To RSVP, please check his Facebook page.
My prayers go out to all those who loved you the best. Your smile and your spirit will be greatly missed. It was my pleasure to be your manager before I retired as you were a very easy person to manage.