Roswell Brayton, Jr. was born May 8, 1951 in Fall River, Massachusetts. He moved to Woolrich, PA with his family in 1953 and attended the Woolrich Elementary School and Lock Haven Junior High School. He was a graduate of Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard University in 1973.
After graduation from college, he signed a professional baseball contract with the Boston Red Sox. He spent four years playing professional baseball before beginning his career with Woolrich in May of 1977.
Roswell was a sales representative for Woolrich covering Kentucky and Indiana from 1978 through 1982. In 1983, he returned to Woolrich to assume responsibilities in the Accounting and Finance department.
From 1982 to 1996, Mr. Brayton held various positions within the company, including Treasurer and Vice President of Finance. He was named president in 1996 and CEO in 1997.
As president and CEO, Roz guided a staff of seven vice presidents in management of all divisions of the company, including wholesale, direct-to-consumer, licensing, international, operations, woolen mill and finance. Roz led Woolrich through some of the most dramatic changes in the company’s history. During his tenure, Woolrich expanded both international and domestic licensing, and launched new businesses in mail order consumer catalogs, ecommerce, Woolrich home furnishings and bottled water. He presided over the company’s 175th anniversary celebration in 2005.
Roswell was a member of the Trinity Episcopal Church in Williamsport, on the Board of the Williamsport Municipal Authority, and was a member of the Williamsport Country Club, the Ross Club and Acoaxet Club in Westport, MA. He also served as the director (1996-2002) of the Northern (National) Textile Association.
He was a devoted loving husband and father.
Roz resided with his wife, Sally, and son Matthew in Williamsport. He is survived by six grown sons and daughters: Nick, State College, PA; Audrey, Keene, NH; Scott, New York, NY; Valerie, Washington, DC; Alex, Nashville, TN; and Julie, Louisville, KY. He is also survived by two sisters, Charlotte Underwood and Anne Snyder of Westport, MA.
Services will be held at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 844 West Fourth Street in Williamsport, PA at 7:00 Thursday evening March 15. A graveside service will be held Saturday, March 17 at 11:00 in the morning at the family gravesite in Fall River, MA.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Brayton Family Scholarship Fund at Lycoming College, 700 College Place, Williamsport, PA 17701 or the St. Jude Children’s Hospital 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-1905.
Arrangements are being handled by the Maneval Funeral Home, “A Life Celebration Home” 500 W. Fourth St., Williamsport.