Alan Harris

Alan Harris

TUCSON, AZ - With immense sadness, the family and friends of Alan Harris share the news of his sudden and tragic death on Sunday, May 24, 2020. Alan, a skilled cyclist, was riding his bike in Tucson, Arizona where he and his wife Diane Lebel have a second home, when he apparently crashed after hitting a large unmarked hole in the ground on a section of a bike path under construction.

Alan's real name was Nathan, something his friends never let him forget, and he was born in Yonkers, NY in 1950. He attended Horace Mann Prep and then went on to Stanford University in California where he received a Bachelors Degree. He received his Medical Degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, and a Masters of Public Health from the UCLA School of Public Health. Alan and his wife Diane, a pathologist, came to Worcester to practice medicine in 1982 and Alan established his own allergy practice in 1983. He retired in 2016. Alan and Diane lived in West Boylston and Alan was a long time member of the town's Board of Health.

If Alan were reading this he would say get to the interesting parts, and poetic license is preferred. Alan was a great writer and took many in-person and online courses to perfect his craft. He would often chronicle his adventures with friends and we will forever cherish his writings. He had many interests and pursued each with a vengeance. He was well read and passionate about the issues of our times, especially women's rights. He had strong opinions, about many things, including how to make a cup of coffee and the right way to load the dishwasher.

Alan had unwavering energy and his enthusiasm was contagious. His smile and laugh will forever be a part of everyone who had the pleasure to call him friend.

Alan and Diane loved adventure travel and with friends they visited every continent. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, trekking in Nepal and exploring Antarctica were among the highlights. Their most recent adventure was a 7 day rafting trip on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Alan became a connoisseur of craft beer and dragged many a friend to the newest brewery - sometimes just barely after breakfast. He organized a "Thirsty Thursday" group for fellow beer enthusiasts in Tucson. He also loved dogs and the beloved and recently departed Andy was succeeded by his latest companion Gus. While once upon a time he was a regular at Alan Bilzarian (a high end clothing store in Worcester and Boston) his favorite attire was jeans and a t-shirt, and one he wore most proudly said it all, Alpha Dog.

Alan ran the Falmouth Road Race every year. And the story was always the same. He complained of some alleged injury and then ran the race finishing high in his age group. His friends were not impressed.

And then there was cycling. Alan was a great athlete and few things made him happier than being on a bike. He was a founding member of a little known but highly regarded group called the JOMITS, which is an acronym for Jewish Old Men in Tights. The group began twenty two years ago, when they were not so old, and they never missed a year of exploring some part of New England for a challenging long weekend of cycling and scotch. Diane and Alan would have been married 44 years on June 4th.

We will get together to celebrate Alan's life, but for now we suggest you experiment with a new craft beer in his honor, take a photo, and share it with all of us. If you would like to make a donation, we recommend a dog rescue organization.