Robert Elton Harding, 88, of North Dartmouth, MA passed away peacefully on September 30th, 2023. Born in New Bedford, MA on August 12, 1935, Robert is predeceased by his parents Elton and Florence (Richardson) Harding, his brothers Earle and Fred Harding, his sister Carroll, and his wives Jean Jensine Lemos and Mary Pauline Slattery.

He is survived by his children Jensine Quealy and her husband Charles T., Kyle Harding and his wife Erin R. (Buckley), Emily Klein, and James Harding and his wife Mollyanne (Bryan), as well as his stepchildren, 11 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, his brother Elton Harding, and his sisters-in-law Florence and Fay Harding, and his loving partner Carol Patenaude.

Robert was a graduate of Dartmouth High School and Northeastern University where he studied Economics and History. He completed his PhD on Ford Foundation Scholarships at Carnegie Mellon University in 1968. He retired from the Foxboro Company in 1985 becoming the CFO of the Polytop Corporation until his second retirement in 1998. During his career, he served as an adjunct professor at universities such as the University of Pittsburgh, Bryant University, WPI, and UMass Dartmouth.

Throughout his life, he enjoyed golfing, reading, canoeing, and being the family historian. In addition to genealogy, he dedicated time to researching and preserving local history through books, events, and recorded interviews. Since 1993, he was a leader in the acquisition and development of an abandoned John Slater historic mill into today's Residences at Slatersville Mill. As president of the Dartmouth Historical and Arts Society, a recent accomplishment was the transcription and publication of volumes of Quaker meeting minutes from 1699 to 1920. Bob was known to be gregarious and upon meeting a person was likely to ask your family names and cousin names to figure out how he was related. Bob was tremendously proud of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and also of his historical research and leadership roles such as high school class president for 4 years. Described by his family as loving and holding a special place in their hearts, he was known on the golf course as Ice Man for his ability to stay cool under pressure.

Friends and family are invited to attend a celebration of his life at the New Bedford Whaling Museum,18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA 02740, on Sunday, November 5, 2023, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dartmouth Historical and Arts Society https://dartmouthhas.org/participate.html or contact info@darmouthhas.org