Dennis G. Bretton, 70, died Saturday, Dec. 6, at Fairhaven Healthcare Center, Lowell, following an extended battle with alzheimer’s disease. He was the husband of the late Barbara Ann (Zarbolias) Bretton who died in March, 2013.
Born in Derry, N.H., Jan. 28, 1944, he was the son of the late Alcide and Alberta Bretton. A lifelong resident of Bradford, Bretton was a graduate of Haverhill Trade School and Lowell Technical Institute.
Bretton was employed as an engineer at Raytheon for more than 30 years before retiring in 2009. Concurrent to his engineering career, he worked as a Realtor in the Merrimack Valley. He worked for numerous agencies, eventually owning and operating Brettonwood Real Estate in Bradford for a number of years.
In his youth Bretton was an avid softball player, playing in many leagues throughout the Merrimack Valley. He was the quintessential family man; he loved spending time with his wife, Barbara, visiting the beach and vacationing with his family. Bretton always found time to take his sons fishing. Later in life, he especially loved spending time with his grandchildren. He was a communicant of Sacred Hearts Parish in Bradford.
He is survived by his three children and their spouses, Dennis Bretton II and his wife, Vanessa of Bradford, Debra (Tilden) Gorham and her husband, David of Bradford and Michael Tilden and his wife, Susan of Groveland; six grandchildren, Jacqueline and Matthew Gorham, Mikayla and Cole Tilden and Arianna and Jonathan Bretton; two brothers, Gerald and Steven Bretton; a sister, Carol Raymond, and many nieces and nephews.
His funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m., Thursday in Sacred Hearts Church, 165 South Main St., Bradford. Visiting hours will be held Wednesday in the Linnehan-Grondin Funeral Home, 129 Kenoza Ave., Haverhill from 4 to 7 p.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made in his memory to the Alzheimer’s Assoc., 480 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472. Interment will be held in Linwood Cemetery, Haverhill.