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Boynton McFarland Schmitt, 94, of Essex died June 21 in the Health Center at Essex Meadows after contracting the COVID-19 virus.

He was born Jan. 4, 1926, in New Haven, the son of late Carol McFarland and Erhardt Gillette Schmitt. He was predeceased by his beloved younger brothers Erhardt Jr. in 1936 and Peter Totten Schmitt in 2015. He married Marjory Wilshire Nelson in November 1956, who succumbed to Alzheimer's disease after a 15-year struggle in 1996. He is survived by his loving companion Jean Richards who brought joy to his retirement and shared his love for the outdoors.

He lettered in football, ice hockey, and baseball at Kent School, graduating in 1944. He served in the Army Air Service from 1944 to 1946 and was stationed in Germany. He graduated with a BA in economics from Yale College in 1950, where he competed with George H.W. Bush to be starting first baseman on the varsity team. He was a Yale class agent for decades and remained active in the Kent Alumni Association until he was eighty.

He followed his father into the life insurance business, starting with Aetna as an underwriter in 1951, then as a brokerage manager for Occidental Life in New Haven, and later becoming a certified financial planner.

Boynton never met a stranger; he considered everyone his friend and could not be convinced otherwise. In the Essex Meadow's Health Center he charmed the other residents at meals with his witty repartee and relentless good nature. He loved to play sports, progressing from a doubles tennis player to an avid golfer and then an active hiker. He rooted for the Saint Louis Cardinals his whole life, often listening to crucial home games on an old transistor radio in the backyard in Guilford before the days of cable TV.

He is survived by five children and step-children: Carol Schmitt (Wayne Propst) of Lawrence, Kansas; Duncan Schmitt (Alice Carey) of Woodstock, New York; Anne Nelson (Bill Gilbert) of Cerrillos, New Mexico; George Nelson (Cheryl Winkler) of Gathersburg, Maryland; and Renze Nesbitt of Taos, New Mexico. He is also survived by nieces Barry Weyburn (David Post) and Daphne (Charles) Boswell; nephew Robert (Allison) Schmitt; eight grandchildren, Duncan (Krikit) Post, Robin Post, Josie Gilbert (Tim Henley), Elizabeth Torrison, Samuel Gilbert, Louis Propst Schmitt, Matthew Schmitt, and Gregory Schmitt; and five great-grandchildren.

A memorial service is planned for the Essex Meadows later this year as conditions permit.

Contributions may be made in his name to the Essex Meadows Foundation scholarship fund.

To share a memory or express a condolence to Boynton's family, please visit www.rwwfh.com. Arrangements are by the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, in Centerbrook.