KENISTON P. MERRILL

KENISTON P. MERRILL - WOODSTOCK - Keniston P. Merrill, 78, died peacefully, with his family beside him, after a long illness on Jan. 26, 2015, in Woodstock, Vt. He was born Aug. 14, 1936, in Worcester, Mass., the only son of George K. and Marie P. Merrill. Ken graduated from Hamden High School in New Haven, Conn., in 1954.He attended Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and graduated in 1958 with a BA in English literature and Economics. He subsequently went on to earn his master's in business administration in 1960 from New York University. Ken was married to Carol J. Martin of North Haven, Conn., on June 27, 1959. They lived in Armonk, N.Y., and later moved to Ridgefield, Conn., where they lived until 1982. That year, they moved to Vermont and settled in Randolph where they lived until 2013. In 2013, they moved to Blake Hill Road in Woodstock. Ken worked as a financial analyst for TIAA-CREF in New York City from 1957-1964. In 1965, he joined The Five Arrow's Fund as a financial analyst. Five Arrows later became New Court Securities and then Rothschild, Inc. where Ken rose to Managing Director. In 1982, Ken left Rothschild and joined National Life Insurance Company in Montpelier as Chief Investment Officer and President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of National Life Investment Management Company where he was responsible for managing the Sentinel family of mutual funds. Ken retired in 1997. Ken remained active after his retirement serving on a number of local and nonprofit boards, including Cardigan Mountain School, The Episcopal Archdiocese of Vermont, Central Vermont Hospital, where he served as Chairman for three years, Vermont Law School, Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital (now Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center) where he chaired the investment committee and the New England Culinary Institute Scholarship Fund. Ken was a cigar aficionado, a wine connoisseur, a food critic and a voracious reader of all genres. He was a loyal fan of Trinity College Football and the New York Yankees, Giants and Rangers. He had a lifelong passion for jazz music amassing an impressive collection of LP's and jazz recordings. His parents worked for the New Haven railroad and instilled in Ken a lifelong passion for locomotives, railroads and model trains. He loved Vermont, and particularly enjoyed watching the seasons change from his home and office at Brainstorm Farm. Ken is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife of 56 years, Carol; his sons, Peter, 53, of Morrisville, Vt., and Andrew, 51, of Rowayton, Conn., and their wives Harriette ("Bunny") and Erica; and his five grandchildren, Hanna, George, Hadley, Thorn, and Sam. The family wishes to thank the staff of Woodstock Terrace and Vermont Hospice for their kindness, their extraordinary care and their enormous compassion. A memorial service will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church in Randolph, Vt., at 11:30 a.m., Feb. 7, 2015. There are no calling hours. Online condolences may be left at www.dayfunerals.com. Arrangements are by the Day Funeral Home in Randolph. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions in Ken's memory may be made to Norris Cotton Cancer Center or The Memory Clinic for Alzheimer's research at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, One Medical Center Dr., Lebanon, NH 03756.