James Dundee Harris achieved much in his thirty-year tenure on earth.

He was born to Donald and Sylvia Harris on July 14, 1979, in Santa Clara, California. Sharing the family home with him were his brother Kyle and sister Emma. Later his parents divorced and the children moved with their mother to Boulder Creek, California. Upon his mother's subsequent marriage to Jack Kunz, the family expanded to include two brothers and a sister, Joseph Woods, Alicia Rollins and Jackson Kunz. James began elementary school in Boulder Creek and completed his high school education at San Lorenzo Valley High School, where he played on the football team. After his graduation in 1998, the Boulder Creek Fire Department employed him for the next eleven years. On July 31, 1999, he married Margaret Cannelora and they had three daughters, Lorianne, Natalie and Emilee. While living in Boulder Creek, Harris took advantage of the county's great outdoor environment and became an avid hunter and fisherman.

In December 2005, James fulfilled another of his goals by enlisting in the United States Marine Corps. Harris was sent to Camp Pendleton, California, for his initial training and to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, for his advanced MOS training. After completing his training, he was assigned as a Marine Support Landing Specialist in San Jose, California. During his Marine Corps tour, James Harris rose to the rank of Lance Corporal.

In 2008, James Harris developed medical complications arising from previous back injuries. While attempting to recuperate at home on medical leave in 2009, his physical condition deteriorated and on April 6, 2010, he died at his home in Boulder Creek.

(Santa Cruz Sentinel April 13, 2010 A9:4;interview with Margaret Harris April 14, 2010)