Marlin "Skip" Dalton

Marlin "Skip" John Dalton, 80, of Amherst, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully on October 10, 2026.

Skip was born on September 6, 1946, in Henry, South Dakota, to John Edward and Anna Rosena (Gallisath) Dalton, and was raised on their family dairy farm. At a young age, he became a member of the U.S. Coast Guard, a path that took him from the South Dakota prairie to the shores of Salem, Massachusetts. There he met Barbara Plaza, the love of his life, and the two were married in May 1969.

Skip and Barb settled in Bedford, New Hampshire, where they raised their two sons. He spent many years working in the technology sector and was a proud member of the Knights of Columbus where he volunteered his time. A lifelong lover of the water and the outdoors, Skip enjoyed boating in his younger years and later found joy kayaking with friends. Closer to home, he enjoyed working outdoors and spending time in nature, and he was also an avid traveler. 

Skip loved his family to no end. A natural leader, he was a hero to so many, and he was the person people turned to for wisdom and advice. He liked nothing more than fixing things and was a born problem solver, always going out of his way to help others, from family to friends to complete strangers. He led with his heart.

Fun-loving and blessed with a quick wit, Skip let humor shape his life. Laughter was at the heart of everything he did, bringing people together wherever he went.

Skip is survived by his wife of 57 years, Barbara; his sons, Jeffrey (Richard Taranto) Dalton and Steven (Allison) Dalton; his grandchildren, Alec and Erin Dalton; his siblings, Carol Hanten (widow of Gerald) of Webster, SD; Donna (Steve) Johnson of Watertown, SD; Kenneth (Marilynn) Dalton of Littleton, CO; Lowell (Barbara) Dalton of Clark, SD; and Angela Dalton (widow of Duane Dalton) of Sioux Falls, SD; his brother-in-law, Quentin Sonnenfeld, widower of his sister, Sharon (Dalton) Sonnenfeld; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Keith and Duane Dalton; and his brother-in-law, Gerald Hanten.

A private service will be held for the family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Skip’s memory to SHARE Outreach, 1 Columbus Avenue, Milford, NH 03055, or to the Community Hospice House in Merrimack, NH.