May 21, 1951 – September 24, 2026
Reverend Barton Elliott Harris, beloved husband, brother, uncle, pastor, teacher, and friend, transitioned from this earthly life on September 24, 2026. Across a lifetime spent in churches and classrooms, he helped generations of people grow in faith, discover their abilities, and see greater possibilities for their lives.
Born in Nashville on May 21, 1951, Barton was the third of four children born to Sarah Alberta Clardy Harris and Caesar Harris, Jr. His earliest understanding of faith came through his grandmother, Mamie E. Clardy, and his mother. In their care, he experienced the kind of faith described in 2 Timothy 1:5 – passed from one generation to the next through the lives of those who believed.
Westwood Baptist Church, University Center, was part of that inheritance. A third-generation member, Barton accepted Christ in October 1959 and was baptized later that month. Long before the congregation knew him as Pastor Harris, Westwood knew him as one of its own. Within this church, he grew from a child learning the foundations of his faith into a young man preparing to answer a call to ministry.
The value of education was also instilled in him and he excelled early. As an inquisitive child, Barton often sat amongst the elders, absorbing and retaining all the information that was available to him. Education opened another path for his gifts. At Pearl High School, he distinguished himself as president of the Honor Society and graduated in 1969 with the J. A. Galloway Scholarship to Fisk University. As a second-generation Fiskite, he carried a family tradition onto campus and began establishing a legacy of his own. He studied religion and mathematics, served as president of the campus Baptist Student Union, and was elected its national president in 1971.
Barton graduated magna cum laude from Fisk in 1973, earning departmental and General University Honors and induction into Phi Beta Kappa. A Protestant Fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation took him to Boston University School of Theology, where he earned his Master of Divinity degree and continued with postgraduate studies.
His years in Boston brought together the two vocations that would define much of his life. At St. Francis de Sales School, he served first as a teacher and then as principal, leading the school to national recognition, including a feature in The New York Times. He also served congregations at Myrtle Baptist Church in West Newton, Metropolitan Baptist Church in Dorchester, and Senior Pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Roxbury from 1980-1987. The responsibilities of education and ministry grew alongside one another, each giving him opportunities to teach, guide, and care for others.
Harris married his Fisk classmate, Carolyn Alvina Washington, on July 29, 1978. Together, they shared 48 years of marriage, building a life that carried them from Boston to Nashville and through decades of ministry, work, and family.
When Barton returned to Nashville in December 1987 to become Westwood’s tenth pastor, he came home to a congregation that had witnessed many of the defining moments of his life. He had been baptized, licensed, ordained, and married there. Now, he would help guide its future.
For 37 years, Pastor Harris led Westwood through growth and change, strengthening its teaching and prayer ministries and expanding the congregation’s capacity to serve. His investment in the community extended beyond the church’s walls. Under his leadership, Westwood acquired more than 20 properties in the surrounding neighborhood, building lasting assets for the church and deepening its investment in North Nashville. Additional spaces for learning, fellowship, and ministry supported that growth. In a congregation whose roots reached back to 1920, his pastorate connected generations of families and carried a familiar foundation of faith into new seasons. Following those years of service, he became Pastor Emeritus.
Nashville also knew him as an educator. He taught mathematics at Tennessee State University and later at McMurray Middle School, where his concern for students extended beyond their performance in class. Through “Men of Distinction,” he helped bring African-American male students together with African-American male teachers around scholarship, leadership, and character. His students’ achievement in mathematics earned commendation, and in 1995 he was recognized as Teacher of the Year.
The many titles he held tell only part of his story. To his family, he was Barton – a husband, brother, and uncle. To others, he was a godfather, a spiritual father, a
teacher, or the pastor who had been part of their lives for decades. Those relationships became a family of their own, stretching across congregations, classrooms, cities, and generations.
Barton was kind and generous, with a humility and sense of humor that made people feel welcome in his presence. He truly loved all of God’s children, and there was room in his heart for people from every walk of life. That warmth was accompanied by firm conviction. He believed in doing things decently and in order, held high expectations, and encouraged those around him to give their best.
Pastor Harris was preceded in death by his grandmother, Mamie E. Leonard Clardy, parents, Sarah Alberta Clardy Harris and Caesar Harris Jr, and his sister, Delia Harris McPherson.
He leaves to cherish his memory his beloved wife, Carolyn Washington Harris; his maternal siblings, Caesar Harris III (Joyce) and Elois Freeman; his paternal siblings, Valerie Harris and Patrice Harris Peters (Gibson); his nieces, Aleathea Harris-Little and Nadira Freeman; his nephew, Caesar Harris IV (Kimika); his grandnieces and grandnephews, Alonja-Aulani Little, Kiya Freeman, Malcom Little, Caesar Harris V, and Kaleisia Harris; a loving extended family; a large host of godchildren and spiritual children; his Westwood Baptist Church family; and friends, colleagues, students, and community members.
The faith Pastor Harris received from his grandmother and mother became the faith he lived and shared. It found expression in the church he loved, the students he taught, and the people he shepherded. His earthly journey has ended, but the lessons, love, and faith he entrusted to others will continue through the generations.
