Born in Dedham, son of the late Nathaniel Lothrop Harris and Mary Louise (Terry) Harris, he had resided in South Dartmouth for the past 32 years.
Mr. Harris was a 1948 graduate of Noble and Greenough School in Dedham and received a degree in geology from Harvard University in 1952. He proudly served in the United States Army from 1953-1955; he served in Korea and was a recipient of the Korean Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, the UN Service Ribbon, and the Meritorious Service Unit Plaque.
Mr. Harris coached freshman hockey and baseball at Harvard University for 12 years after his discharge from the Army. In 1968, he and his family moved to Hebron, Maine, where he served as teacher, coach, and Athletic Director at Hebron Academy for 20 years, retiring in 1988 and returning to Massachusetts.
He was inducted into the Hebron Academy Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.
After moving to South Dartmouth, Mr. Harris worked as a tax preparer and joined the Board of Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust (DNRT), where he served as Treasurer for many years. He loved being outdoors, having spent summers in his younger days working as a surveyor in northern New England, and in later years exploring many conservation properties in Dartmouth. He was famous for going on walks with DNRT staffers and volunteers and disappearing into the woods, reuniting with the group later with his jacket torn and his face scratched, having made sure to do his job exploring property boundaries thoroughly.
Mr. Harris loved hockey. He played hockey on the frozen Charles River at Nobles, in the old Watson Rink at Harvard where he played on the varsity team for three years, and for many years he coached on the outdoor rink at Hebron Academy. Living in South Dartmouth, he played with the local men’s hockey group until age 77 at Hetland Rink in New Bedford and at the Tabor Academy rink in Marion.
He enjoyed spending time with his family; he loved doing crossword puzzles; he collected stamps and maps since he was a boy; he liked planning trips almost more than he liked travelling; he stayed active outdoors with yardwork and sports.
Surviving in addition to his wife are his children, Jane Harris Ash and her husband, Gary, of Dartmouth; Nathaniel L. Harris of Scarborough, ME; and Judith A. Osojnicki and her husband, Bruce Fernandez, of Randolph, VT; and four grandsons, Wyatt and Blake Harris and James and Adam Osojnicki. He is also survived by step-grandchildren, Erin Ash Sullivan and Amanda Ash Dasch; Jillian, Alex, and Sam Fernandez.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to DNRT, PO Box 70567, Dartmouth, MA 02747 or DNRT.org.
Private services are in the care of Waring-Sullivan Home in Dartmouth. For online tributes, please visit: www.waring-sullivan.com.
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