Russell A. Nylander

Russell A. Nylander, 80, died peacefully at his home in Hancock while in the care of his family on August 3, 2020.  Russell was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Donald O. Nylander and Barbara Gould Nylander. He grew up in Arlington and Acton, Massachusetts, but his heart has belonged to New Hampshire since his family purchased a summer residence in Hancock in 1951. He was a graduate of Acton Boxborough Regional High School, where he was valedictorian of the Class of 1957.  After receiving a degree in Civil Engineering in 1961 from the University of New Hampshire, he went on to graduate school at the University, specializing in Water Pollution Control.

Russell entered the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service (Division of Water Supply and Pollution Control) under the Department of Health Education and Welfare after receiving his Master’s Degree in 1963. He was assigned to the Robert A. Taft Sanitary Engineering Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.  In 1964 he was appointed project engineer of Acid Mine Drainage Pollution Control Demonstration Project # 1 in Elkins, West Virginia.  The project was designed to study the watersheds of the Tygart River,  a part of the upper Monongahela River and Ohio River basins. In 1966 he joined the New Hampshire Water Supply and Pollution Control Commission  (Now the Department of Environmental Services) and worked in the areas of industrial and oil pollution control. He was Chief Engineer of DES at the time of his retirement in 2004.

Russell is survived by his wife of 59 years, Roberta Daly Nylander, a son, Michael J. Nylander and daughter-in-law, Pennie Barrett Nylander, a daughter, Elizabeth Nylander Lent and son-in-law Stephen Lent, six grandchildren, one great grandchild,  and many nieces and nephews.

He was pre-deceased by a brother, Robert H. Nylander and leaves behind a brother, Richard C. Nylander, and a sister, Karen E. Nylander.