Elliott R. Covill

Elliott R. Covill, 88, of Phoenix passed away peacefully November 2 after a lengthy illness. "Pop," as he was known to family and close friends, rose from a childhood in the Great Depression to become a successful entrepreneur and business owner. Born April 7, 1915, in New Bedford, MA, he was devoted to his mother, Jeanette Craig Covill, and to his wife of 30 years, Barbara Catherine Hanson Covill of Danvers, MA, and Meredith, NH. Although she died an early death in 1975, he continued to celebrate their wedding anniversary each New Year's Eve. After serving in the Army Air Corps during WW2, he began a career in the insurance business, starting in the mail room of Kemper Insurance Co. in Boston. He bought a small insurance agency in Manchester, NH, and over the next 25 years, built that agency into one of the largest in the state. He then sold the agency and returned to his roots on Cape Cod as the owner of a motel. He retired from business in 1976, first living in Dunedin, FL, before moving to Phoenix in 1985. A church deacon, a Mason and a New Hampshire Justice of the Peace, he also was a low-handicap golfer at the Derryfield Country Club in Manchester, NH. After moving to Arizona, he took up tennis and became a fixture playing and organizing senior tennis matches at the Phoenix Tennis Center. He is survived by sons Bruce and Jeffrey, daughter-in-law Ann Covill and grandsons Eric, Jason and Lorin Covill, all of Phoenix; cousin Walter Taylor and niece Carol Jean Covill of Hyannis, MA, and grand-niece Max Park of Carey, IL. A memorial celebration will be held Friday, November 7, at 2 p.m. in the Chapel at Paradise Valley United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Elliott and Barbara Covill Memorial Gift, Brookside Congregational Church, 2013 Elm St., Manchester, NH 03104-2592.