David Merrill

1924 - 2019

ALTON BAY - David Nelson Merrill passed away on June 2, 2019.

Born on Sept. 20, 1924, in Manchester, David grew up on the West Side. He was the youngest, born into a bustling family and being a late in life child of the Depression, his shoes were never large enough. Eventually, those feet of humble beginnings grew to a 12 quadruple E and it would have been hard for anyone to fill those shoes.

There was another child in that neighborhood, Agnes Willet. They met when they were five. They both attended Manchester High School West. She was beautiful and played the field. He was smitten, patient and waited.

His college education at the University of New Hampshire was interrupted in 1943 by World War II. He served in the U.S. Army as a sergeant in the Pacific Theater where he was badly burned in a munitions dump explosion and nearly died.

David returned in 1946 to marry Agnes and continue his education at the University of New Hampshire on the G.I. Bill. He earned a degree in chemical engineering.

He spent his career working in power plants eventually rising to become executive vice president and an officer at Public Service Company of New Hampshire. In addition, David was production manager and instrumental in overseeing the building of the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant.

Along the way, he served as the first chairman of the New England Power Pool's Executive Committee; a member of NEPOOL's executive committee and a member of the review committee for same; an original director of Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp.; chairman of the Engineering and Operations Advisory Board of the Electric Council of New England; chairman of the ECNE Power Generation Committee; a member of the American Nuclear Society; a member of the Edison Electric Institute's Prime Movers Committee; and as chairman of the Northeast Power Coordinating Council System Operations Committee.

David enjoyed a good round of golf, gardening, auctions, walking on country roads, crossword puzzles and his family. And there were always pets in the family. Cats were okay but he loved dogs. Any stray of either variety was always welcome at their country home in Candia. At one point, Agnes and David cared for 10 cats and five dogs, all strays. He and Agnes were a mini Animal Rescue League.

He was predeceased by his wife, Agnes Willet Merrill; and his son, Mark Willet Merrill.

Family members include his daughter, Anne Posnack, and her husband Alan, of Alton; his granddaughter, Christina Fackert of Haverhill, Mass., and her husband Matthew, and their daughter Cora; and two nieces, Patty Torrent of Brooksville, Fla., and Sheila Wollam of Black Mountain, N.C.

His family wishes him peace and laughter with Agnes and Marcus and know that all the dogs have come to greet him.

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SERVICES: There are no services per his request.

Memorial donations may be made to a local Humane Society or Live and Let Live Farm in Chichester. Or better yet, adopt a dog!