“He was a skyscraper. He touched a lot of people’s lives — thousands and thousands of people,” Lowell Harris said. “He was a businessman and community leader and the perfect example of a humanitarian.”
Lorenzo Harris Sr. died Saturday of natural causes at the Dayton VA Medical Center Hospice and Palliative Care. He was 86.
The Korean War veteran moved to Dayton in 1944 following the death of his mother, Pearl Harris Crawford. He lived with his aunt Minnie.
Harris’ visitation is set for 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, at House of Wheat Funeral Home, 2107 N. Gettysburg Ave., Dayton.
Funeral services are to start at 10 a.m. Friday at the Summit Christian Church, 4021 Denlinger Road in Trotwood.
Harris spent his early years picking cotton in Alabama and dreaming of something better, his son said.
He learned the grocery business while a student at Dunbar High School and later while attending UD, where he earned degrees in business administration and accounting.
Lowell Harris said his father’s skin color was a barrier that prevented him from finding work as an accountant.
At age 28, Lorenzo Harris borrowed $2,000 to purchase the Euclid Avenue building that would house his first store.
He would go on to open four other stores. At one point he owned three at once. The last Ren’s Supermarket location at 2500 Home Ave. closed in 2007.
Harris is also the former owner of the Southwest Shopping Center in Jefferson Twp., which was the home of a barbershop, hardware store, a beauty shop, a Rike’s Bakery, a clothing store and eventually Spunky’s Night Club.
Lowell Harris said his father owned real estate and his business venues included Ren’s Supermarket Inc., HEGH Associates and the Rice and Ren Company.
The father of five served on about 20 civic boards during his time in Dayton, including The United Way, Big Brothers and Big Sister, Mary Scott Nursing Home and the Black Business Association.
He was involved with the Dayton Urban League for more than 60 years.
The 2007 Dayton Urban League Diamond Award recipient was an assistant treasurer of the Dayton unit of the National Association for the Advancement of Color People for several years.
Harris and his wife Nadine married in 1961.
The Lorenzo and Nadine Harris Family Fund through the Dayton Foundation’s African-American Community Fund benefits Mary Scott Nursing Home, Summit Christian Church and the University of Dayton scholarships for minority students.
A work of art depicting Harris is included in the Dayton Skyscrapers art project organized by noted Dayton artist Willis Bing Davis. The project showcases black people who have made outstanding achievements in Dayton.
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