John L. Merrill Jr.

Trustee-Sailor, age 79, of Little Cranberry Island, Maine died on Sunday, January 7 after a long illness. Jack was born in Boston on June 18, 1927, son of John Lee Merrill and Katharine Langdon Hill Merrill. He grew up in Augusta, Maine in the house at 136 State Street built by his maternal grandfather, the late Governor John F. Hill. After graduating from the Canterbury School (New Milford, CT) in 1945, he enlisted in the Naval Reserve. Although WWII ended while still in training, he served in the Pacific aboard the P.C. 1144 and later aboard the survey vessel U.S.S. Bowditch. He assisted in revising the charts of the Bikini Atoll and witnessed the first atomic bomb test there. He graduated from Harvard College in February 1950. His early career in Boston in the financial industry included working for F.S. Moseley & Co. He then did stock analysis and research at Keystone Custodian and Coffin & Burr. In the late 1960's he became self-employed, and since has acted as trustee for private accounts. For over twenty years, be and his family lived in Westwood, MA where he served on various town committees and also as treasurer of Dexter School. He was President of Sea Education Association (SEA) of Woods Hole, MA for several, of its early formative years. After a few years in Franconia, NH in the late 1970's, he moved back to the Boston area and then to Charleston, SC. He recently returned to Maine to be closer to his children. A lifelong sailor, he skippered and navigated two of his own boats in seven Newport-Bermuda Races and crewed with others in an additional 14 Bermuda races. Including a Trans-Atlantic race and various cruises in waters all over the world, he once estimated that he had logged over 80,000 miles in the Atlantic and Pacific. Jack was recognized as an extraordinarily capable seaman and navigator. He was a long-time member of the Cruising Club of America, serving on the Bermuda Race Committee, as Treasurer, & later as Commodore. He was also a member of the Harbor Club (ME) and the Little Cranberry Yacht Club (ME). As an avid golfer, he shot his age (77) in 2004 and was a member of the Dedham Country & Polo Club (MA), Yeaman's Hall Club (SC), and the Country Club of Charleston (SC). Other passions where Jack showed considerable talent were woodcarving and architectural design. He is survived by his wife of nearly 57 years Helen Swan Merrill; three sons, John L. Merrill III of Mount Desert, Maine, Thomas W. Merrill of Sherborn, MA, and Joseph W. Merrill of New Canaan, CT; a daughter Elisabeth (Lise) M. Pratt of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and eleven grandchildren. He is predeceased by a son Andrew P. Merrill and a sister Mary D, Merrill. A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, January 13 at St. Alban's Episcopal Church, 336 Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth at 12 Noon. Burial & a memorial service will be held at Little Cranberry Island at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Sea Education Association, PO Box 6, Woods Hole, MA 02453 or Massachusetts General Hospital, 165 Cambridge Street, Suite 600, Boston, MA 02114.