Russell Veale of Manchester, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at the age of 92, surrounded by family and the loving staff at River Woods Manchester.
Russ was born March 26, 1933, in Marblehead to Granville and Annabel (Hart) Veale. He grew up with his sister, Shirley, and was a three-sport star athlete at Marblehead High School in football, hockey and baseball, captaining the hockey team in 1951. He was a two two-sport college athlete (football and lacrosse) at Dean Jr. College, earning an associate’s degree in business administration in 1953. He spent the next two years in the Army during the Korean war. After being honorably discharged, he began a 30-year career at the Bank of Boston and then spent 10 years working for Continental Airlines before retiring in 1996.
He met Eleanor, his wife of 66 years, in 1956 during an Old North Church ski trip to Cranmore Mountain in North Conway, New Hampshire. They formed a love for each other and the mountains, taking regular trips on the ski train to North Conway where they skied regularly with the famed Austrian instructors Hannes Schneider, Franz Koessler and Otto Tschol.
They were married in 1959 and raised their family in Marblehead. Russ was highly active in the community as a Freemason, Boy Scout leader and president of the Boosters Club. His passion was sports, and after his playing days, while raising his family, he tirelessly coached football, hockey and baseball for decades. All three of his boys played for his minor league baseball team, the Warriors, which won several town championships.
His love for the outdoors and the mountains was passed onto his family. They spent summers at Pine Knoll Campground where they enjoyed hiking many of the peaks in the White Mountains, floating down the Saco River and swimming in Lake Iona.
He was a lifelong fan of all the Boston professional sports teams, especially the Bruins and Red Sox. He was a season ticket holder to the Bruins during the Orr era and took the family regularly to Red Sox games at Fenway Park.
In retirement, Russ and Eleanor moved back to where they met in North Conway and became very active in the Mount Washington Valley community. Their home became the unofficial headquarters in the early years of Jen’s Friends Cancer Foundation, and they continued to volunteer for Jen’s Friends for years to come. They also treasured their time working on the Polar Express and for the Chamber of Commerce. Russ kept a deeply instilled work ethic and worked as a lift operator during ski season at Cranmore Mountain until he was 85. He surprised us all when he joined the 70+ Used 2 Bee’s ski team that competed in the Wednesday Meister Racing at Mt. Cranmore, racing with them until he turned 80. He and Eleanor spent a great deal of time playing golf at Eagle Mountain and travelling during retirement. They regularly visited friends and family in Scotland and Hong Kong.
Russell was predeceased by his sister Shirley Davenport and his daughter-in- law Nancy. He is survived by his wife Eleanor, sons Jim, Rob and David, daughters-in-law Lisa and Maria, grandchildren Keith, Nick, Matt, Micheal, Ben, Elizabeth and Annabel, great grandchildren Joseph, Zach, Miriam and Charlie, and several nieces and nephews. He was a genuinely nice human being who was always ready with a joke (most of them corny) and a helping hand. He will be missed dearly. RIP Russ.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Jen’s Friends Cancer Foundation in North Conway, New Hampshire, either at jensfriends.org or by check to Jen’s Friends, PO Box 1842, North Conway, NH 03860. To send a condolence please visit peabodyfuneralhome.com
