Eliza Cope Harrison

Eliza Cope Harrison,84, died peacefully at home in Rumford, RI, on November 24, 2020. Born November 8, 1936, she was the daughter of Alice and Oliver Cope of Cambridge, MA. She was educated at the Winsor School in Boston, where she later taught history, Bryn Mawr College, and the University of Michigan (MA in history).

Eliza was a lifelong educator and learner, teaching history to high school students in Boston, New Haven, Ann Arbor, and Beirut, Lebanon. In Pennsylvania, she spent 10 years as Director of the Hershey Museum, worked with Bryn Mawr College in development and alumnae affairs, and served on the boards of Haverford College and the Awbury Arboretum Association in Philadelphia. Renowned for her warmth, intelligence and inquisitiveness, she is remembered for her genuine interest in others. Eliza's love of history extended to scholarship; she wrote three books based on family and historical archives. She counted among her extended family two English "brothers", John and Richard Himsworth, who spent four years during World War II living with Eliza's family. She was an accomplished cellist, enjoyed playing chamber music, and shared a passion for Bach with her husband Timothy. She was a member of the Harrisburg (PA) Society of Friends (Quakers) and seemed to effortlessly live the Quaker tenets of simplicity, integrity, and stewardship. She is survived by her two daughters, Abigail and Emily Harrison, both of Rumford RI, their husbands, Mark Lurie and James Boyd, and her granddaughter Leah Harrison-Lurie. She was predeceased by her husband of 49 years, Timothy S Harrison, her brother Robert Cope, and Richard Himsworth.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Bryn Mawr College, Middle East Scholarship Fund in memory of Eliza. Further details are available from the Tripp Funeral Home https://www.trippfuneralhome.com/