Denton B. Harris

Tiverton, RI - Denton B. Harris, 84, of Tiverton, RI, died Wednesday, April 4, 2012, at Sakonnet Bay Retirement Living, Tiverton, RI. He was the husband of Carrie (Robinson) Harris.Born in Orange, Massachusetts, on May 2, 1927, he was the son of the late Warren Augustus and Ruth (Ballard) Harris.Mr. Harris served in the US Navy during World War II. He received a Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from U Mass - Amherst; he also received a doctorate from Texas A M in Ocean Engineering. Denton started his career working for the research department at the DuPont Company in Delaware. He also spent time working at Woods Hole, MA in oceanographic studies. He most recently was a professor of engineering at U Mass - Amherst until his retirement, after which he resided in Plattsburgh, NY. He was a world traveler, loved food and wine, and enjoyed the outdoors - skydiving, scuba diving, skiing, water skiing, mountain climbing, camping, and flying his own Cessna. Besides his wife of 33 years, he is survived by his children, Julie Lyn (Harris) Fisher of Indialantic, FL, Patricia Pattie Trifero and her husband Joseph of Middletown, RI, Wendy Boyd and her husband Keats of Cotuit, MA and his step-son Larry Johnson and his wife Jeanne Pardee of Charlottesville, VA, his grandchildren, Sean Joseph Trifero, Cora Lou Harris, Lindsey Trifero, Jamie Bishop, Ilya Boyd and Anya Boyd and his great grandchildren, Taylor Trifero and Cole Trifero.He was the father of the late Chad Harris and the brother of the late Phillip, Warren, Robert and Courtenay Harris.A Celebration of Life will be held on April 21, 2012, from 2:00pm -4:00 pm at Sakonnet Bay Retirement Living, in Tiverton, RI. An internment will be held on April 28, 2011 at 11:00 am at the Central Cemetery in Orange, MA for close family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Leukemia Lymphoma Society at http://www.lls.org/#/waystohelp/donate/donateonline/ or the charity of your choice.