A Founder of Personal Financial Planning January 24, 1934 – June 11, 2023

Bruce McLean Dayton Passed away peacefully on July 11th, 2023, surrounded by his wife, Gracia, and members of his loving family. In recent years, Bruce suffered with dementia and the family is grateful that he is at peace. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Gracia Parkhill Dayton, a nationally known watercolor artist; his three children: his daughter, Heather Dayton Wilson of Acton MA and her husband, Dave and their three children, Tyler, Grace and Tommy; his son, Jon Dayton of

San Francisco, CA, and his wife, Hendy, and their three boys Tucker, Skyler and Jackson; and Greg Dayton of Sausalito, CA, and his daughter, Noa.

Bruce was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He will be remembered for his devotion to his family, his sense of humor and fun and his deep commitment to the communities and organizations that nurtured him. These included Twilight Park, Williams College, Blair Academy, Chi Psi Fraternity and Pilgrim Church.

Bruce was an organized man who liked to plan and he wrote his own obituary which you will read below. Bruce included his accomplishments and leadership roles which are extraordinary. What he did not include is the way he made an impact on others. He took on leadership roles and nurtured those who worked with him. He always had a way of including humor in his leadership style. He had a sense of legacy and planned for the future of the organizations he loved and for his family. He supported those who needed it most. He made his family feel loved and supported in every way. He will be missed but his legacy will be carried on by all who knew him.

One of the founding fathers and pioneers of personal financial planning, Bruce co-founded MultiFinancial Services, Inc. in 1970, one of the first independent personal financial planning firms in New England and the nation. The firm’s clients for financial planning as an executive fringe benefit included Gillette, ITT Sheraton, American Mutual Life Insurance Company, GardenWay, John Hancock and Baring America.

In 1989, Multi-Financial Services merged with Wingate Capital of Lexington, MA. Beginning in June of 2006 Bruce was affiliated for securities offered through LPL Financial. Bruce was listed in Who’s Who in Insurance; Who’s Who in the East; and Who’s

Who in the World.

Bruce was an instructor of Advanced Financial Planning and for the original courses leading to a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designation for the Insurance and Financial Services Institute at Northeastern University. He lectured on personal financial planning for the Sloan Fellows at MIT; the Smaller Business Association of New England; the Home Lines and for the continuing education program of the Massachusetts Society of Public Accountants. Bruce also served as moderator for seminars for corporate directors on “Director Liability” sponsored by the New England

Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Bruce served as a Director for Chancellor Corporation from 1980 to 1996 and was Outside Board Chairman from 1990 to 1996. He was a past President of the Boston Society of Financial Services Professionals; past Secretary of the Greater

Boston Chapter of the International Association for Financial Planning; a past Director of the Insurance and Financial Services Institute, Northeastern University from 19721975; a member of the Executive Committee of the Boston Estate and Business Planning Council 1975-1979; Vice Chairman of the Williams College Boston Area Capital Fund Drive 199192; National Chairman and Executive Council member of the Chi Psi Fraternity 1970-1973; and President and Director of Twilight Park, Haines Falls, NY at the time of the Parks 100th Anniversary celebration.

Bruce served as President and a Director of the Massachusetts Congregational fund 1991-2003; as a two time Moderator of the

Pilgrim Congregational Church of Lexington ’74 -’75 and ’94 – ’96;

Trustee of Lexington’s Issac Harris

Cary Education Fund 1994-2000; the Advisory Board of the Andover Newton Theological School; and as a Director and Advisory Board member of the Boston Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors 1996-2002.

Bruce and his wife, Gracia, were active “Fellows” of the Williams

College Museum of Art and Skidmore College’s Tang Museum of Art. Bruce was a sponsoring donor for the Williams College Museum of Art’s 75th Anniversary installation of the Louise Bourgeois, Eyes. Bruce was elected Chairman of the WCMA Fellows Program of the Williams College Museum of Art and a member of the Visiting Committee of the museum from 2002-2006. The Dayton’s were sponsors of the U.S. Biathlon team for the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City and the Pentathlon team for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

In 1992 and 1996, Bruce served as a People to People delegate for the Financial Services Industry on missions to Russia, Belarus, New Zealand and Australia.

Bruce was awarded the

Distinguished Service Award of the

Chi Psi Fraternity in 1973 and the Owl Award for service to the community of Twilight Park in 1999.

He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1957-1960 as a Public Information Officer in San Francisco for the U. S. Navy Recruiting Service for Northern California, Nevada and Utah. In addition, he served as a special liaison for exhibitions to Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz and the 12th Naval District for the National Navy League Convention in 1959.

Bruce graduated from Williams College in 1956 where he was Captain of the Cross-Country team, editor of the Yearbook, Vice-President of the

Chi Psi Fraternity, and a member of the Winter Relay and Spring Track teams. He attended San Francisco State College as a graduate student for a Master of Science degree in Business while serving in the Navy.

His professional designations from the American College, Bryn Mawr, PA include CLU and ChFC. Bruce graduated from Poly Prep in Brooklyn, NY and Blair Academy in Blairstown, NJ from which he graduated in 1952.

Bruce was the son of George and Agnes Dayton of Brooklyn Heights, NY and traced his genealogy back as a co-lineal descendent of General Elias Dayton, who served in the American Revolution and Jonathan Dayton, who was a signatory of the U.S. Constitution and later served as Speaker of the House of Representatives. On his mother’s side was Major Johannes Hardenberg who was granted the Hardenberg Patent, that consisted of two million acres of the Catskill Mountains by Queen Anne in 1708.

A Celebration of Bruce Dayton’s Life will be held at Twilight Park in Haines Falls, NY. In lieu of flowers, a gift could be made to a charity of your choice in his name.