Austin Eaton Obituary

Austin Eaton, Jr. "Ace"

Springfield, NH - Austin Choate Eaton, Jr of Springfield, NH, born in Boston, MA on October 9, 1940, died peacefully at home with family on March 21, 2025.

He is survived by his wife of sixty years, Joan Mead Eaton, two sons Austin III and Benjamin, their wives Pamela and Christy, and two grandsons, Austin IV and Mason.

Austin (better known as Ace) was born in Boston, MA on October 9, 1940. His family moved to Exeter, NH in 1949 and he graduated from Exeter High School in 1958, followed by Dartmouth College 1962 and Amos Tuck School of Business 1963. Upon graduation he served in the Coast Guard Reserve until 1969.

Ace and Joan have called the New London, NH area home since 1997 and built a wonderful network of friends. You could find Ace at Lake Sunapee Country Club most summer afternoons playing golf with his friends, and he loved to spend time reading and relaxing on the beach at Colby Point. An avid historian, he led several courses for Adventures in Learning at Colby Sawyer College. He loved the research and preparation involved in being a study leader.

As a lifelong golfer, Ace had five holes in one, which included TWO in the same round at Lake Sunapee Country Club in 2007. Ace and Joan skied and played golf together, enjoyed travel, and loved to entertain and spend time with friends.

Ace was a very proud father, and was quite involved in his sons' sports (skiing and golf). Some of his favorite times were the many hours spent driving them to their events. A highlight for him was caddying for son Ace III in the 2005 Masters tournament in Augusta, GA.

After graduation from Dartmouth and Tuck, Austin joined Price Waterhouse and Co in 1964 and completed his CPA in 1966. He and Joan moved to Coral Gables, Florida in 1967, where he worked in real estate investment and became Treasurer of Meridian Investment and Development Co, a public investment trust working in real estate throughout the U.S. In 1972, he joined US Financial to open a joint venture division in New England and moved to Wellesley, MA for six years and then to Waterville Valley, NH.

In 1973 he created a partnership with Edward S. Keating to develop The Village of Loon Mountain, a 3-mile property on the Kancamagus Highway across from Loon Mountain.

They worked from 1973 to 1993 to create 600 townhouses and the accompanying recreational facilities. Eaton-Keating Inc also developed the Mountain Club on Loon, at the base if the ski area.

In 1983 Eaton and Keating began working with Robert Trent Jones on the development of the Ipswich Country Club in Ipswich, MA, including a championship golf course with amenities, roads, and infrastructure for 224 homes.

In 2001, Eaton began plans and development of Great Pines in New London, NH, which is a 22-home planned development on 44 acres, built and sold between 2001 and 2006.

Austin continued developing and building in Enfield and Springfield NH through 2015.

The family wishes to express their heartfelt appreciation to Lake Sunapee Region VNA and Hospice.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Lake Sunapee VNA or Camp Coniston would be appreciated.