ROGER MERRILL

MERRILL, Roger, III Of Hingham, died June 29, 2015. Beloved husband of Margaret (Linskey) Merrill of Hingham. Devoted father of Nathaniel Merrill and his wife Eleanor Lawson Merrill of Matunuck, RI and Finley Merrill and his wife Mwanasha Hamuza of Boston. Son of the late Roger Merrill Jr. and Jane (Wellington) Merrill. Brother of Tamsen Merrill and her partner Gregory Thorpe of Ashfield and the late Peter Merrill. Uncle of Eleanor Dodson and her daughter Sonya of Ashfield and Abbott Dodson of Brooklyn, NY. Roger Merrill was born in Boston and raised in Belmont and Framingham, MA . His early days were spent in his family home with his mother, Jane, where he spent many hours in the shop with his father, Roger Jr., tinkering with engines and all things mechanical. In the summer, he would sail in Nantucket with his siblings Tamsen and Peter, as well as race wooden boats in the waters near Woods Hole. Roger's position as an officer aboard the SSV Tabor Boy, Tabor Academy's 92-foot topsail schooner, cemented his love for all things marine. Roger achieved his bachelor's degree in Urban Economics from Northeastern University, and went on to complete a master's degree in economics at Clark University. Graduate studies and co-op experience at Northeastern prepared Roger for a career as an economist at State Street Bank, where he tracked macroeconomic trends and reported them regularly in the Federal Reserve's Beige Book. Roger took advantage of the financial turbulence of the 80s to pursue his greatest passions to become a small business owner and to raise a family with his wife Margaret (Maggie) Linskey Merrill of Greenwich, CT. He devoted the next 15 years to owning and operating 1st Quality Marine, a full service boat yard and marina on Hingham Harbor where he enjoyed tinkering, problem-solving, and chatting with customers. The boat yard was an ideal setting to pass on his vast mechanical and nautical knowledge to his two boys, Nathaniel and Finley. Nantucket summers were highlights throughout Roger's life. He was the ?one-to-beat' in the competitive Hulbert Ave Turnabout fleet. Over his life, he competed in many Bermuda races aboard Sisyphus, a friend's Concordia yawl. Aboard family boats Roustabout, Coatue, Magic, and Deneb, he led explorations of the Maine Coast, Cape and Islands. Sailing with lifelong friends and members of the Cruising Club of America, he navigated the Bras D'or Lakes, Newfoundland, Labrador, the coast of Scotland, and the Caribbean. Family, friends and fellow sailors continue to reminisce about long, adventurous days on the water with Roger. His kindness, generosity, calm competence under pressure, willingness to explore, and love of "creative maintenance" made him an asset aboard a boat, and a role model for his sons. There will be a celebration of his life on Tuesday July 7, 2015 at 11AM at Old Ship Church, 107 Main Street, Hingham, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to the Home for Little Wanderers, where he was a member of the Board of Ambassadors. Attn. M. Allen @ 10 Guest Street, Boston, MA 02135.