Harry Melvin Sawyer, Jr.

Lakeland - Mr. Harry M. Sawyer, Jr., age 86, died on Dec. 27, 2019, at his home. Harry was born in Gary, Indiana, on March 18, 1933, one of three children born to Harry M. Sawyer and Thelma L. Sawyer. His first birthday was spent in Miami Beach in 1934 and thereafter he lived between Gary, Indiana, and New Smyrna Beach, Florida, until 1942 when his parents and siblings moved to New Smyrna Beach. He attended public schools in Gary and New Smyrna Beach and graduated from New Smyrna Beach High School in 1950. In high school he was a member of the Key Club, Hi-Y and the Beta Club. He attended the University of Florida and graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Also, upon graduation he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Later in 1954 he was called to active duty in the Air Force and was in pilot training at Moultrie, Georgia, and Enid, Oklahoma. He received his pilot's wings at Vance AFB in Enid, Oklahoma, in January 1955. Thereafter he was stationed at Mt. Home AFB, Idaho, where he was a pilot on a B-47 crew in the Strategic Air Command. After his service in the Air Force he returned to the University of Florida and the College of Law there. He graduated with honors in 1961 and received a Bachelor of Laws degree, which later was replaced with a Juris Doctor degree. In law school he was a member of the Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity and the Order of the Coif. He also was an associate editor, symposium editor, and writer for the U of F Law Review. After graduation he joined and became a partner in the Bartow law firm founded by then U. S. Senator Spessard L. Holland, which later merged with the Tampa law firm founded by Peter O.Knight and became Holland & Knight. Holland & Knight evolved into a prominent national and international law firm in the years while Harry was a lawyer there. After practicing law for 37 years, he retired in 1998 but remained a partner in Holland & Knight until his death. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Lakeland. Harry was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Walter C. Sawyer, all of New Smyrna Beach. He is survived by his wife, Nancy E. Sawyer, and his children, Gary P. Sawyer (wife, Beth), Claude M. ''Trey" Harden, III (wife, Terri), John S. Sawyer (wife, Stephanie), Melanie A Harden, and Harry M. "Pete" Sawyer, III (wife, Carol), all of Lakeland, and his sister and sister-in-law, Mary Ann Sawyer Tomarelli and Dianne M. Sawyer, both of New Smyrna Beach. He is also survived by eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be sent to First United Methodist Connections: Memory Ministry, 72 Lake Morton Dr, Lakeland, FL 33801, or Boys & Girls Club of Polk County, 1525 Martin L King Jr Ave #3627, Lakeland, FL 33805. A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 3, 2020 at 3pm at First United Methodist Church, 72 Lake Morton Drive, Lakeland, FL 33801 with a reception following.