David S Dayton

David S Dayton, 92, a resident of Shaftsbury, died on the 24th of July at his home on Crosier Road, surrounded by family.  His gentle strength, keen intellect, and unwavering commitment
to serving others left an indelible mark on all who knew him.

Born in 1933 in Mountain Lakes, NJ, Dave was a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute(BSEE) and The Kellogg School at Northwestern University (MBA). He married Shirley Grange in
1955, and they eventually settled in Acton, MA for 46 years, where they raised their five children. In 2005 David and Shirley moved to Bennington, VT, and in 2016 they moved to Shaftsbury VT.

Dave began his career at Raytheon, recruited to lead an engineering section at their missile systems laboratory. He left the defense industry to form TDC Corp, the first of a dozen nonprofit companies he would found during a lifetime of service to and love for the city of Boston, from prison rehabilitation to juvenile justice to child welfare and energy efficiency.
During this period he was appointed Chair of several state commissions by past Governors, served on the board and executive committee of the Dimock Community Health Center, and
chaired many other public service, criminal justice, and health care organizations.

Dave was a pioneer in establishing and growing the energy service company (ESCO) industry in the U.S. and in several countries. He founded the Hospital Efficiency Corporation (HEC), devoted to helping hospitals reduce their energy costs. After HEC was acquired by Northeast Utilities, he led the company’s growth to become one of the leading ESCO companies in the U.S. He was elected President of the National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO).

As a co-founder of Energia Global International (EGI), Dave helped the company develop high-head hydro, wind, and energy efficiency projects in Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, and
Mexico. He served as a senior consultant to the Henry P. Kendall Foundation in the design and development of the Cambridge Energy Alliance, a community energy efficiency initiative. 

In 2000, Dave formed Clean Energy Solutions, Inc. (CESI) to provide consulting services to government and private organizations in energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment,
and recently developed a neighborhood-based distributed microgrid design. He led the organization’s efforts to create and implement a novel energy financing instrument utilizing the
property tax in several states; was instrumental in providing the program design for one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s most impactful local energy efficiency initiatives in 2009; and
successfully won more than $40 million in grants for local energy efforts from the Virgin Islands to Ohio. Most recently, he has conceived and organized microgrid developments with solar and batteries in a half dozen Massachusetts communities, most with a focus on serving low income neighborhoods.

Dave loved the Red Sox and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and hosted many friends and colleagues at Fenway Park and Symphony Hall. He was an avid softball player, and a frequent
golfer and tennis player. He is the proud author of five books, published under the name David Sayre, which explore the intersections of science, philosophy, faith, and rationality. 

Dave is survived by his daughter Dawn and husband Peter King of Shaftsbury, daughter Carolyn and husband Sam Creech of Horse Shoe, NC, son Gregory and wife Debra of Nashua, NH and son Bruce and wife Rebecca of Jamesville, NY. He was predeceased by his wife, Shirley, in 2018, and a daughter, Shelley, in 2010. He is also survived by Shelley's husband, Conworth, grandchildren Heather, Jessica, Erin, Michael, Samantha, David, Abigail, and Ted, and great-grandchildren Virginia, Arthur, Natalie, and Declan.

A service of remembrance will be scheduled in Summer 2026.