John Dent Obituary

John Robert Dent of Attleboro, MA (but long-time resident of Foxboro) passed away peacefully on January 6, 2025 at the HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center in Providence, Rhode Island in the comfort of the love and support of his family.

John was born on October 7, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois to Robert and Jean Dent, but spent most of his formative years in Monona, Wisconsin with Lake Monona in his backyard, where he and his four siblings spent summers swimming and fishing and winters skating. He received his BS and MS in mechanical engineering at University of Wisconsin-Madison and then moved to California to pursue a job in aerospace, where he was a member of a team that built the first space shuttle. It was in California that, by incredible chance, he met Patricia Wishart, a woman from Vermont who was also in California for work. They were married on May 25, 1974 and recently celebrated their 50th anniversary. Following their wedding, they then took a roadtrip across the country to relocate to Boston so that John could pursue his PhD at MIT while Pat worked as a physical therapist.

In 1979, John completed his PhD, Pat completed her MS and, in October of that year, Pat gave birth to their two children, twins Rebecca and Ethan. They then settled in Sharon, MA before moving to Foxboro in 1987, where they remained until 2021. Their house was a home filled with a multitude of animals and beautiful gardens. John worked as a mechanical engineer until his retirement and holds two patents. His last position was at Schneider Electric in Foxboro. In his free time, John loved spending time with the dogs and cats he pretended he didn't want to get (but was outvoted repeatedly), working in his yard tending to beautiful flowers and a vegetable garden, and listening to Pink Floyd albums on repeat. He cultivated lifelong friendships, building communities in each of his work places and community activities, and was devoted to making sure that he kept a close bond with his extended family despite living in different parts of the country.

Although quiet by nature, John was possessed of a sharp and biting wit and a mind so quick it was often difficult to keep up - but in a way that never made anyone feel lesser than. A regular viewer of Jeopardy, as his daughter Rebecca eventually became more of an equal in terms of trivia prowess, he would jokingly claim that the episode "must be a repeat" as a way of acknowledging his quiet pride. He also loved the outdoors and took up skiing in his 40s when his son, Ethan, started skiing as a teenager. He and his wife Pat had a true partnership and demonstrated devotion to each other throughout times both good and rough, and were fortunate to travel to many places together until just the last year.

Even as his body struggled with Parkinson's Disease, John continued to do his favorite activities as he could and always enjoyed being out in his yard. He always beamed upon seeing and talking to his two beloved granddaughters, Franny and Lulu, who called him "Paeta" (for reasons no one is quite sure why). He played pickleball religiously until Covid made it more difficult and was a regular participant in RockSteady, a boxing program for people with Parkinson's that provided both physical exercise, emotional support, friendship, and there found another family.

John was a long time member of St. Mark's Episcopal Church where he participated in many events and was on several committees. Community activities included many years as a committee member for Relay for Life in Foxboro and as recently as May of 2024 he walked a quarter of a mile to raise money for the American Parkinson Disease Association. He was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Jean and his brother-in-law Joe Nunn (Karen) along with a large menagerie of beloved pets. He is survived by his beloved wife of 50 years, Patricia Dent, his daughter Rebecca (Jen) and son Ethan, and two granddaughters Franny and Lulu. He also leaves behind an uncle James Dingle, four siblings Katherine Papanicholas (Vaughn), James Dent (Marsha), Marge Dent, and Barbara Meyers (Phil), sisters-in law Elizabeth Traver (Andy) and Margaret Moss (Greg), brother-in-law Robert Wishart (Roberta) along with numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, as well as many first cousins.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend calling hours on Friday, February 7 from 3 PM to 7 PM at the Roberts and Sons Funeral Home, 30 South Street, Foxborough. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday at 11 AM at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 116 South Street, Foxborough. Interment to follow at the St. Mark's Church Memorial Garden.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be made to support the Neurotherapeutics Fund at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Checks can be made payable to Brigham and Women's Hospital with "in memory of John Dent" in the memo line and sent to Brigham and Women's Hospital, Development Office, 263 Huntington Avenue, #318, Boston, MA 02115-4506 or visit bwhgiving.org/memorial to make your gift online.