Commerce founder Arthur Remillard dies at 87

Dec. 03--Arthur J. Remillard Jr., who built one of the largest insurers in Massachusetts and funded a range of philanthropic endeavors, died Nov. 28 in Boca Raton, Florida. He was 87.

Mr. Remillard was an entrepreneur casting about for an opportunity when he decided to form the business that would become Commerce Group of Webster. The insurer would go on to employ more than 2,000 people and be sold in 2007 for $2.2 billion.

A world traveler, Mr. Remillard also donated to numerous institutions in Massachusetts and Florida, and his name adorns everything from hospital facilities to a family center.

"He never wanted to do anything he did not excel at," said son Arthur Remillard III of Sutton. "And quite frankly, to his credit, there was not much he did not excel at."

Mr. Remillard was born in Auburn and graduated from Clark University in 1956 with a degree in accounting. He served in the Navy during the Korean conflict.

His business career included serving as an incorporator of the former Shrewsbury Bank and Trust and as owner of the Webster Times and Auburn News newspapers. He was also involved in supermarket and discount store chains.

Mr. Remillard shifted to insurance in 1966, buying the Clark Insurance Agency of Webster and Oxford. He combined it with another agency, forming the Clark-Prout Insurance Agency.

In 1971, according to his retirement press release, Mr. Remillard founded Commerce and focused mostly on home and auto insurance. The business became publicly traded in 1995. By the time Mr. Remillard retired in 2006, Commerce was among the top 20 auto insurers in the nation. Spanish insurer Mapfre bought the business in 2008.

Former state Sen. Richard T. Moore of Uxbridge said Mr. Remillard was an intelligent, low-key businessman who took a calculated risk in starting Commerce and became influential in the state's insurance community.

"I always felt he had a good foundation in integrity, both in business and in personal affairs," Mr. Moore said.

Mr. Remillard and his family also focused philanthropy on the region, helping to fund Harrington HealthCare and UMass Memorial Health Care emergency facilities, the Remillard Family Community Service Fund at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Boca Helping Hands in Florida, which named a family resource center after him.

In Dudley, Nichols College dedicated a residence hall to Mr. Remillard in 2000. The building was constructed with a lead donation by Mr. Remillard's Commerce successor Gerald Fels. In 2012, the Fels Student Center opened at Nichols, with Mr. Remillard as a lead donor.

Nichols College President Susan West Engelkemeyer said in a statement that Mr. Remillard would "be long remembered for the incalculable economic and social impact that the Commerce Group has had on the region -- including the countless opportunities Commerce has provided for Nichols students and graduates. Nichols is truly grateful for his support and commitment."

Mr. Remillard is survived by Elizabeth Seraphin, his partner of more than 30 years; his children Arthur J. Remillard III and wife Debra of Sutton; Robert P. Remillard and wife Deborah of Croydon, New Hampshire; Renee A. Granger and husband Lawrence of Newtown Square, Pennsylvania; Danielle A. Haxton and husband Michael of Sunapee, New Hampshire; Regan P. Remillard of Boston; a brother, James Remillard of Framingham; a sister, Jacqueline Ericson of Chatham; 16 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and nephews and nieces.

Calling hours are 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Mercadante Funeral Home, 370 Plantation St., Worcester. Private services for the family will be held Tuesday morning.

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