CAVENDISH, Vt. – It is with sadness that we report the passing of CHS president and treasurer Daniel (Dan) Churchill.
Born and raised in Proctorsville, at the age of 14 Dan became a “teenage pharmacist.” He worked for the Pollard’s store until 1964, coming home on weekends from college to fill and compound prescriptions. While he would have liked to make pharmacy his career, the family finances were such that he focused on his second love, electricity.
As a young child, he remembered when their house was wired. He found it fascinating, and followed the technician from room to room. This ultimately resulted in his working for General Radio for four years while studying at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which led to his being an engineer at RCA for 25 years.
In 1970, he started Commercial Radio Company to provide specialized expertise to companies, universities, and individuals in need of service for radio transmitters and other apparatuses. Purchasing the old Duttonsville School, he refurbished the building to be his home and business.
Upon returning to Cavendish, Dan became very involved in a variety of civic duties, including being a member of the Cavendish Selectboard, Planning Commission, and Board of Civil Authorities, as well as the town’s representative on the boards of the Black River Senior Center and the area Agency on Aging. He was one of the founding members of CHS, as well as a member of the Masons.
One of Dan’s great interests was dowsing and spiritual healing. He attended classes at Lily Dale, and was a member of the American Society of Dowsers. Dan often did readings for community members as well as around the state.
A man with many talents and interests, one person described Dan as a “one of a kind eccentric genius, and very kind.”
A memorial is being planned for Sunday, June 4, at 2 p.m., at his home in Cavendish, Vt.