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Richard Bruce Harmon
Born: 7/27/1930
Died: 3/20/2024
Age: 93
Community: Grand Blanc, MI
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HARMON, RICHARD “DICK” BRUCE age 93, of Grand Blanc, MI died peacefully on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at Provision Living-Fenton surrounded by family. A Memorial Service will be held 11:00 A.M. Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Brown Funeral Home, 1480 E. Hill Rd., Grand Blanc, MI 48439. Pastor Brenda Etheridge, Unity Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), is officiating. Visitation will be at 10:00 A.M. until the time of service. Dick was born in Flint, MI on July 27, 1930, to Tracy V. (Skinner) Jacques and Rennie B. Harmon. Surviving are brothers John C. and James G. (Ilona) Jacques; children Catherine “Sue” S. (Jeff Goyette) Thibault, William “Bill” L. (Donna) Harmon, Ann E. (Gregg) Taft, Jeanne M. Harmon; grandchildren Jennifer Bailey, Christopher Thibault, Cori (Steve) Dilley, Kandi (Aaron) Wong, Misty (Robert) Comeau, Vance (Marcy) Palmer, Sarah (Robert) Herron, Kelly (Nick) Meoli, Richard (Carley) Taft, and Patricia, Arlie, William, and Bonnie Wisenbaugh; 17 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; many nieces and nephews.
Dick grew up in the Flint area. From an early age, he was interested in Flint and its automotive history. He often recounted meeting an elderly William “Billy” Durant in 1940 at the GM co-founder’s eighteen-lane bowling center, North Flint Recreation. Dick attended Flint schools and graduated from Flint Central High School in 1948. Following graduation, he met Patricia Ann Park while at Flint’s Capitol Theatre where he was a manager and she was a ticket seller. After promising her mother that they would wait one year, they married on June 3, 1950. Sue was born in 1951 and Bill followed in 1953. As a young husband and father, Dick attended General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) completing a BS in Industrial Engineering in 1954. Ann and Jeanne joined the family in 1958 and 1966 respectively (Births coincidentally followed moves to new homes). Dick earned a master’s degree at the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering in 1972. Pat and Dick were married for 62 years until her passing in 2012.
Dick worked as an engineer for General Motors AC Spark Plug and AC Electronics Divisions for ten years. He was particularly proud of the contributions of AC engineers that helped create Apollo 11’s guidance and navigation systems (the Apollo Guidance Computer, or AGC) and was delighted to discover an AGC on display in the Titan Missile Museum while vacationing in Arizona. In 1964, Dick joined the faculty at GMI in the Industrial Engineering Department teaching methods and work standards. He retired from General Motors and General Motors Institute (then GMI-EMI) in 1992 as Associate Professor. He was known to be a quiet, dedicated, and conscientious professor who wanted his students to understand and apply methods and work standards in the workplace. He avoided politics, treating others as he wished to be treated.
Dick loved family, his faith, and friends. Pat did not drive, and he would take her anyplace she wanted to go. He was content being with her. They attended every K-12 and college concert, sporting event, or play. Generations caught the school bus from their home. He helped with homework, especially math (new and newer) and before calculators, taught those who had to know how to use a slide rule. He was a stickler for proper grammar and punctuation, frequently red marking newspaper articles and returning comments and corrections to editors. TV news crawlers were a constant source of irritation. In recent years with advancing Dementia, difficulty finding words and forming coherent sentences proved to be extremely frustrating.
Dick enjoyed decades of family camping trips to Interlochen and Straits State Park in St. Ignace for the annual Labor Day Bridge Walk. He was the proud bearer of a Lifetime Pass to the Grand Hotel presented by R. D. Musser in June 1990 “in consideration of heroic efforts above and beyond the call of duty and an obvious great love for Mackinac Island and the Grand Hotel.” He enjoyed Tigers baseball, Lions and Wolverine football, the Red Wings, and golf. He speculated about a possible family connection to Tom Harmon (“Old 98”) UM’s first Heisman Trophy winner, as evidenced by a strong resemblance to his grandfather, Lee Harmon (His children appreciated a possible tie to actor Mark Harmon). He may have been responsible for orchestrating a day of hooky for a red-haired daughter to attend a Tiger game, which netted a John Hiller autographed baseball.
Dick would occasionally get the bug for a new car or stereo equipment. Although most vehicles were family station wagons, he did succeed in owning a Corvette to sport Pat around. Stereo equipment appeared periodically and imposing speakers were placed throughout the house with the goal of improving sound quality as well as decibels. His musical interests were varied ranging from classical, to big bands, ragtime, jazz, Willie Nelson, Irish Rovers, the Beatles, and the 1812 Overture with live cannons; thus, the justification for decibels. Dick loved technology. In 1959, the family boasted the first color television on the block and hosted Bonanza watch parties. He was an early adopter of hand-held calculators and home computers. He could fix or repair almost anything.
Dick loved his church and was an active member of Unity Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He was an elder, sang in the choir, visited shut-ins, and ministered to the homeless and hungry. He welcomed everyone with a smile, hug, and a wink and gave generously of his time, talents, and resources. He demonstrated tremendous empathy to persons of all conditions.
He was preceded in death by many dear family and friends including his loving greyhound, Sadie.
True to character and as one final gift, Dick donated his whole body to the University of Michigan Medical School for the purpose of furthering medical education and research. Always and forever the teacher.
Dick, sporting a Scottish Tam, will be greatly missed for years to come by all who knew and loved him. The family would like to thank Visiting Angels, Absolute Hospice, The Medical Team Hospice, Westfall AFC, and Provision Living-Fenton for the care and compassion shown to our father. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the Genesee County Humane Society, MotorCity Greyhound Rescue (PayPal: MotorCitygreyhound@gmail.com), U-M Medical School or a favorite charity of your choice. |
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| Visitation |
| Date: |
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4/6/2024 |
| Time: |
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10:00 AM |
| Visitation will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2024 from 10am-11am at Brown Funeral Home. |
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| Funeral Service |
| Date: |
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4/6/2024 |
| Time: |
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11:00 AM |
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| Location: |
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Brown Funeral Home
1480 E. Hill Road
Grand Blanc, MI 48439Get a Map to this location...
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| Official: |
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Pastor Brenda Etheridge |
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