Dena Dincauze

1934 - 2016

Graveside services for Dr. Dena Ferran Dincauze, 82, will be held at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, MA on September 17, 2016 at 11:00am. Dr. Dincauze passed away on August 14, 2016 from complications following a long illness at the Center for Extended Care in Amherst, MA. Born in Boston, MA on March 26, 1934, Dr. Dincauze was the distinguished daughter of the late Archibald H., a long time public official, and the late Dora Ferran, a pioneer of female small business owners, both formerly of Concord, MA, where Dr. Dincauze was educated in her formative years. A specialist in the archeological prehistory of northeastern North America, Dr. Dincauze led a prestigious academic career, which began at Barnard College, where she received her B.A. magna cum laude in 1956, a Diploma in Prehistoric Archaeology with distinction from Cambridge University, England, in 1957, and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1967. At Harvards Peabody Museum, she was Research Fellow in New England Archaeology, and later Assistant Curator of North American Archaeology. She taught anthropology for one year at State University College at Buffalo, New York, before joining the faculty at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1973, where she was promoted to full professor in 1985, and remained at the university until she retired in 2001. Dr. Dincauze served as a Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University, where she was also a Fulbright Scholar; a Thaw Fellow for the Peabody Museum at Harvard University, and a recipient of research grants from the NSF, the National Park Service, the New Hampshire Charitable Fund, and the Massachusetts Historical Commission. She was the author of more than 50 publications, and was on the editorial staff of several professional journals. A past president of the society of American Archaeology and the Society of Professional Archaeologists, Dr. Dincauze was a member of many professional groups, which included the American Society for Conservation Archaeology, the Archaeological Institute of America, the American Anthropological Association, the Massachusetts Archaeological Society, and the Canadian Archaeological Association, and was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Dincauze is survived by her daughter, Jacqueline; son, Eric; four siblings; and two grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations are made in memory of Dr. Dincauze to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in New York. Arrangements are under the care of Susan M. Dee and Charles W. Dee, Jr., Dee Funeral Home of Concord. To share a remembrance in Dr. Dincauzes online guest book visit www.deefuneralhome.com.