Bent, Gary Dean
Gary Dean Bent, 82, of West Hartford, formerly Mansfield Center, CT, passed away on Friday, March 3, 2023, surrounded by his family. He was the beloved husband of Gloria (Tidwell) Bent.
He was born on October 9,1940, in Battle Creek, Michigan and was the son of the late Dean and Lillian (Snyder) Bent.
Gary lived a rich life. His family describes him as gentle, witty, supportive, creative, loving, gifted, and resilient. Growing up in Florida he went on to study at Georgia Institute of Technology where he earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics. He received his PhD in physics from the University of Connecticut. He was an Ordnance Corps officer in the United States Army for 12 years, serving in several military research centers and at the Military Academy at West Point. He served as assistant head of the physics department at the University of Connecticut for 23 years. While at UCONN he published numerous articles in scientific journals, he worked closely with graduate students, taught courses in Physics and environmental science, and was an enthusiastic researcher. Over the years he developed a sense of how physics could be taught at the high school level to ensure student success at the college level. He pursued Connecticut teaching certification in physics and chemistry and after retiring from UCONN he went on to teach physics for UCONN credit at E.O. Smith High School in Storrs. A dedicated teacher, he made the classroom a space for fun and creative learning, using exciting experiments to demonstrate the theories of physics while dressed as a wizard!
After retirement from E.O. Smith, he spent time traveling with his wife Gloria (they especially loved their time at Kapiolani Park in Honolulu, Hawaii) and volunteering his time to combat climate change. He was a founding member of Eastern Connecticut Green Action. He loved playing the drums, listening to the music of Pete Seeger, Johnny Cash and Joan Baez, following the Los Angeles Dodgers and the UCONN Women’s basketball team.
Gary was a dedicated peace and social justice activist. His children have fond memories of participating in marches, peaceful protests, and volunteering with their dad, and the sense of justice this instilled in them. In addition to his wife of 56 years, he is survived by his children, Geoff Bent of Santa Monica, CA, Rebecca Bent and Megan Bent of Hartford CT, John Bent and wife Alison Green of Providence, RI; brother, James Bent and wife Sue (O’Steen) of Kernersville, NC and sister, Kay Bent McPhail (Paul) of Madisonville, LA. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews.
The family expresses deep thanks to Dr. Upendra Hegde, Dr. David Ozimek and Dr. Ketan Bulsara for their outstanding care over the years and to Accent Hospice for their compassionate presence in his final days. Gary touched many lives and will be greatly missed. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Unitarian Society of Hartford at a later date. In lieu of flowers, a donation in Gary’s memory can be made to the Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic Connecticut at covenantsoupkitchen.org, Eastern Connecticut Green Action at easternconnecticutgreenaction.com or Food and Water Watch at foodandwaterwatch.org.