He was born in Hamilton County on November 15, 1911, the son of Sylvanous and Mary Jane (Huffstuttler) Harrleson. On October 29, 1932, he married Glady's Marie Sullivan, and she survives.

Mr. Harrelson was a retired truck driver for Tri-State Butane Company in Carmi, and spent much of his retirement working in his garden and reading. He and Glady's attended Cherry Street General Baptist Church in Carmi.

Survivors include three sons and their wives: Kenneth and Carolyn Harrelson, Larry and Linda Harrelson, all of Norris City, Illinois, Deon and Anna Harrelson of Herald, Illinois; one daughter and her husband; Faye and Delbert Hucker of Carmi, Illinois; one sister, Julie Mitchell of Paducah, Kentucky; twenty grandchildren, four step-grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were at 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 5, 2000 at Cook Funeral Chapel. Burial was in Pleasant Valley Cemetery near Thompsonville, Illinois.

He was preceded in death by four brothers, Alpha, Edgar, Raymond and Murrel Harrelson.