Robert Mathews Merrill, 83, of Sandwich, previously of Duxbury, died Thursday, Jan. 29 after a brief illness.

He was a 1950 graduate of Bowdoin College and a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity.  A Navy veteran of World War II, he was a retired sales engineer for industrial electrical firms. After retiring, Mr. Merrill was a longtime volunteer at Heritage Museums & Gardens and at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape and Islands, both of Sandwich.

Mr. Merrill was the husband of Dorothy C. Merrill for 54 years.  He also leaves three children, Robert E. Merrill and his wife, Marybeth C. Merrill, of Warwick, R.I.;  Donald R. Merrill and his wife, Paula J. DeJohn, of Aurora, Colo.; and Linda M. Merrill of Duxbury, as well as two grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at noon Wednesday, Feb. 4 in Corpus Christi Church, 324 Quaker Meetinghouse Rd., East Sandwich. Visiting hours will be held from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Nickerson-Bourne Funeral Home, 154 Route 6A, Sandwich. Burial services will take place at Sandwich Town Cemetery, Route 130.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape and Islands, 311 Service Rd, East Sandwich, MA 02537.