Bolton – David Frank Lamson, 93, longtime businessman and banker, passed away peacefully in his home Monday, Jan. 22, 2018. The love of his life, Elsie, died in 2017.
The couple was injured in a car accident in 2012. Both spent weeks in the intensive care unit at the UMass-Memorial Hospital, followed by rehabilitation. With the assistance of their three daughters, as well as a multitude of nurses and home care attendants, David and Elsie were able to enjoy their final years at home, surrounded by family, friends, and their two cats.
David was the proud owner of R.S. Lamson & Sons, a company in Hudson founded by his grandfather. The company, now owned by Koopman Lumber Co., originally began as an ice company in 1897 and converted to a lumber and building supply business upon the advent of modern refrigeration. David eventually took over the company from his father Chester and stayed active in the business until his accident five years ago.
He also was chairman of the board of Avidia Bank, becoming involved when it was the Hudson Savings Bank. David served as corporator, trustee and a member of the Board of Investment. In 1973 he was named president of the bank, and in 1985 was named chairman of the board, a position he held until 2012.
Retirement was not a word in David’s lexicon. Even after his accident he was insistent on being driven to the lumberyard to check on the supply of two-by-fours and other building materials. He learned the business from his father, whom he called his hero for his honesty and ethical business practices. He was jokingly known as “Whip” by some of his employees for his penchant for running a tight ship. But he was also known for his generosity and fairness, attributes he inherited from his father.
He loved cigars and Black Russians, often enjoying both while relaxing in a rocking chair on the porch of Pine Mere, his home in Holderness, N.H., overlooking Little Squam Lake. He slalom waterskied well into his 70s, starting off by stepping off the end of the dock, and remained active traveling with his wife, daughters and grandchildren.
David was born April 26, 1924 in Hudson, the son of Chester Taylor Lamson and Helen Dupree Lamson. He was a 1942 graduate of Hudson High School and entered Norwich University in the fall of that year. He joined the U.S. Army in 1943 and served in the European Theater Operations of World War II as a corporal first class in the 574th Airborne division until 1946 when he returned to Norwich.
He was the captain of the Norwich hockey team, playing defense, and earned the nickname of “Dirty Dave” for his use of elbows in the corner. He later played golf, preferring his irons over his woods, and taught his daughters how to throw a baseball, swim, water ski and snow ski, and to pay their bills on time.
He married Elsie Thomas in 1946 and the two lived on the Vermont campus at Norwich until his graduation in 1949. He became president of the lumber company in 1959 and chairman in 1998.
He was a member of the Hudson Elks, the Hudson Rotary Club, the Hudson Planning Board, the Massachusetts Retail Lumber Association, the New England Retail Lumber Association and the Norwich University Hockey Blue Line Club.
He was a dedicated supporter of Hudson High School Sports and made it a point to attend every Thanksgiving football game. He was inducted into the Hudson High Athletic Hall of Fame for football and hockey.
David leaves three daughters and their husbands, Lynne and Dusty Sheldon of Bolton, Lona Lamson and Bill Eddy of Hudson, and Leah Lamson and Steve McCormick of Bolton. He also leaves four grandchildren, Lindsey Stepp and her husband Morgan of Holderness, N.H., Andrew Yauga of Portland, Ore., Eben McCormick and his wife Danielle of Hudson, and Libby McCormick of Evanston, Ill., and three great-grandchildren.
The family would like to thank the nurses and home health aides from the PNPS Agency of Hopkinton, as well as all the independent caregivers, all of whom gave loving care to both David and Elsie for the last five years.
Calling hours will be held Friday, Jan. 26, from 5-8 p.m., at Tighe Hamilton Regional Funeral Home, 50 Central St., Hudson, followed by a private burial service. A memorial service for David and Elsie will be held in April.
Donations in David’s memory can be made to Norwich University, 158 Harmon Dr., Northfield, VT 05663.
