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In memory of

Melvin Eugene Harrison

Rock Hill, SC, USA

June 4, 1935 - April 24, 2019

Jun 4, 1935 - Apr 24, 2019

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Melvin Eugene Harrison, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, on April 24, 2019, at The Wayne T. Patrick Hospice House in Rock Hill, with family and friends close by. A husband, father, uncle and grandfather, he would have celebrated his 84th birthday on June 4, 2019.

He was a first-generation American, the only child of immigrant parents. A child of the Great Depression, he learned thrift and the value of an honest day’s work. These are qualities he made a point of passing on to his own children. Mr. Harrison’s father, Jacob, was born in Russia in the pre-Soviet era, and came to the U.S. as a young man. His mother, Fannye (nee Bilman), was a native of Austria and also came to the U.S. in the early 1900s.

Growing up in the New York City melting pot of the Bronx, Mr. Harrison’s childhood was typical of his peers. He attended public schools and graduated from Christopher Columbus High School in 1953. In his spare time, he played basketball at Bronx Park. He also often played in pickup football and baseball games. During summers, he worked as a waiter in the Catskill mountain resorts to earn college tuition for his studies in economics at New York University.

A salesman and sales manager for many of his adult working years, Mr. Harrison held many titles across the arc of his lifetime: sports enthusiast, basketball player, soldier – he served overseas as a U.S. Army tank commander during the Cold War era, 1955-1957 – educator and mentor, among others. No one role can define him better than devoted husband and father.

Before moving to South Carolina in 2005, Mr. Harrison and his wife of 43 years, Roberta (Bobbie), lived in Key West, Fla., for 10 years. There, they pursued their love of deep sea fishing. Both earned many prizes and awards in the sport.

Besides his widow, Mr. Harrison is survived by a daughter, Laurie Hope Harrison of Coram, N.Y., and a son, Michael Lee Scott Harrison of Fort Mill,S.C.; grandchildren Daniel and Rachel Harrison-Smith of Calverton, N.Y.; a nephew, Ryan Hoffman, of Danville, Calif.; Brother and sister in-law Larry and Audrey Hoffman of Brentwood, Calif.; a cousin, Libby Hollander of Forest Hills, N.Y.; and close friends Joyce and Michael Proscia of Rock Hill, and Shelly Albert of Coconut Creek, Florida.

Donations in his honor may be sent to Hospice and Community Care, 2275 India Hook Road, Rock Hill, SC 29732.

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In lieu of flowers, consider a gift to Hospice & Community Care.

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