HARRY V. ROCKWELL JR., 83, a retired systems supervisor, died Sunday at Rhode Island Hospital, Providence.

He was the husband of Dorothy L. (Dodd) Rockwell; they had been married for 50 years. Born in East Providence, a son of the late Harry V. and Annie Mae (Rourke) Rockwell, he was a lifelong resident of the city. He had attended the University of Tennessee.

Mr. Rockwell had been a systems supervisor for the former New England Telephone Co. for 37 years before retiring in 1981. He was a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America.

He was an Army Air Corps veteran of World War II.

Mr. Rockwell was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Bishop Hickey Council, in East Providence.

He was an amateur radio operator, using the call letters W1AVO, and a member of the American Radio Relay Association.

An artist, who painted in oils, he also enjoyed woodworking and restoring antique automobiles.

Besides his wife, he leaves a daughter, Ann Rockwell Roe of Warren; two sons, Robert H. and Richard J. Rockwell, both of East Providence; three granddaughters; and a great-granddaughter. He was the brother of the late Ruth M. and Joseph H. Rockwell.

The funeral will be held Thursday at 7:45 a.m. from the W. Raymond Watson Funeral Home, 350 Willett Ave., with a Mass of Christian Burial at 9 a.m. in St. Brendan Church, Turner Avenue. Burial will be held in St. Francis Cemetery, Pawtucket.