Sherman Duesenbury Horton Jr.

1931 - 2014

Sherman Duesenbury Horton Jr., 83, of Hillsboro and formerly of Nashua, died Dec. 3, 2014, at the Concord VNA Hospice House.

Sherman was born in Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 19, 1931, to Sherman and Elizabeth (Martin) Horton.

He graduated from Kemper Military Academy in 1949 and from Dartmouth College in 1953. After college, he joined the Navy, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant and served on a tanker delivering aviation fuel to Midway Island. After he was honorably discharged in 1955, Sherman attended Harvard Law School on the G.I. Bill, graduating in 1958.

In 1958, he married Judith Ann Preston and they settled in Merrimack and later Nashua. Sherman joined the law firm of Sullivan and Gregg in Nashua, where he enjoyed a long and distinguished career working with clients large and small throughout the state of New Hampshire. He was very active in the community. Sherman served as a Nashua alderman, president of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashua, and worked with the Nashua YMCA and many statewide YMCA programs, such as Youth-In-Government.

In 1990, Sherman was appointed to the New Hampshire Supreme Court by then-governor Judd Gregg. Having come directly from private law practice, Sherman brought a fresh perspective to the court where he found the role intellectually stimulating and satisfying.

Sherman retired from the court in 2000 to his home on Emerald Lake in Hillsboro, where he enjoyed fishing, family visits, and puffing away on his trademark cigar.

This year, Sherman enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with family, including all of his children and grandchildren. His health, however, had been in decline after several years of dialysis treatments. He entered hospice care Dec. 1 and passed away peacefully two days later.

Sherman will be remembered for his classic New England style, great sense of humor, fairness, storytelling skill, wise counsel and lingering cigar odor.

Sherman was predeceased in 2007 by his wife, Judy. He is survived by three sons: Sherman D. Horton III and wife, Lynn, of Chelmsford, Mass., Andrew P. Horton of Hillsboro, and Thomas P. Horton and wife, Amy, of Seattle; daughter Sally F. Horton of Gypsum, Colo.; four grandchildren: Bradford, Walker, Hayley and Nathaniel; brother Pharis Horton and wife, Carolyn, of Madison, Wis.; sister-in-law Nancy Johnson of Hanover; and four nieces and two nephews. He was also predeceased by his brother-in-law William R. Johnson.

No public service is planned at this time.

Memorial donations may be made to the Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association, 30 Pillsbury St., Concord 03301.