Elwin was a 1934 graduate of Waitsfield High School and then worked several years for Fellows Gear Shaper Co. in Springfield. In 1942, he and his wife purchased a dairy farm in Waitsfield that has been his vocation ever since. A dairyman and a logger throughout his life, Elwin also operated a milk bulk truck delivering to local creameries during the 1960s and early '70s as well as an Arctic Cat Snowmobile dealership.
Elwin served the town of Waitsfield as a member of the Board of Selectmen for many years; he served with the Washington County Farm Bureau; was a lifetime member of the Registered Holstein Association, and in 1982, was chosen for the Dairy Farmer of the Year Green Pastures Award. He was a 70-year member and former Master of Mad River Lodge 77 F&AM; a member of the Scottish Rite and Mount Sinai Temple; a member and former Worthy Patron of Morning Star Chapter OES; was a member of the Waitsfield Federated Church (now UCC); and was a charter member of the Mad River Ridge Runners Snowmobile Club. In his leisure time, he enjoyed spending time at his camp in Maine, hunting and snowmobiling.
Elwin is survived by his children, Brenda Goss and her husband, William, of Peacham, and Elwin A. Neill Jr. and his wife, Angela, of Waitsfield; three grandchildren, Heather Newland, Maureen Evans and Forest Neill; three great-granddaughters, Jordan Goss-Snow, Taylor Evans and Keenan Evans; as well as nieces, nephews and extended family. He was predeceased by a sister, Etta Newton, and a brother, Raymond Neill.
Funeral services will be held from the Waitsfield United Church of Christ on Friday, September 28, at 1 p.m. with interment to follow in the Irasville Cemetery, Waitsfield. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts would be appreciated to the Mad River Valley Ambulance Service, P.O. Box 305, Waitsfield, VT 05673, or to the Mad River Masonic Lodge Building Renovation Fund, c/o Charles Kettles, secretary, P.O. Box 448, Waitsfield, VT 05673. Assisting the family is the Perkins-Parker Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Waterbury. To send online condolences, please visit www.perkinsparker.com.
