Eric F. Menoyo, a prominent Boston attorney, died March 15 at the Brigham & Women’s hospital from complications associated with multiple myeloma.

Eric had many professional accomplishments. He became a partner at the Boston law firm of Palmer and Dodge on January 1, 1978, which later became the firm of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge. Specializing in trusts and estates and, in particular, international estate planning, for many years Eric was the head of the firm’s private client department. Eric’s clients included American and international families and institutions, including at least one member of England’s House of Lords.

In addition, Eric was a member of the American Law Institute and a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He was a lecturer at Northeastern University School of Law from 1984 to 1987, and the Oxford University Press has published Eric’s legal writings. Eric was listed in Best Lawyers in America for over ten years. He was once named to the list of 100 Most Prominent Attorneys in the country by Hispanic Business Magazine. At that time, he was the only attorney from Boston named to the list. Eric was one of those rare people who always loved his work, and, despite his illness, worked tirelessly until his death.

A past president of the Sudbury Valley Trustees, one of the oldest and largest land protection organizations in Massachusetts, Eric also served as a Trustee for decades. The Trustees honored Eric, in particular, for his exhaustive legal assistance in protecting the Memorial Forest on Dutton Road in Sudbury and in handling legal complications in the transfer of the Wohlbach Farm on Old Sudbury Road in Sudbury, the eventual headquarters of the Trustees. One of Eric’s great joys in life was to walk the fields and woods in Sudbury that the Sudbury Valley Trustees have protected for all to enjoy for all time to come.

One client’s comments are representative of what many clients, friends and family members would say about his sage advice: “I have worked with this attorney for 30 years, as a client, auditor and expert witness ... Eric Menoyo has always taken the time to understand the problem and given practical advice based on an in-depth understanding of the issues in a kindly and competent manner, even if the recipient of the advice did not, initially, agree with his conclusions .... His conclusions are always correct!... Without a doubt one of the top estate and trust attorneys in Massachusetts and beyond.”

Eric was generous with his wise advice for friends and family, as well as for the First Parish Church of Sudbury, in which he was an active member, a financial adviser, and former trustee, for the Nashoba Brooks School of Concord where he was a Trustee, and in his passionate work for land conservation.

Eric was an avid sailor, and a life-long member of the Larchmont Yacht Club in New York. As a young man, he raced one-design classes in Larchmont and Marblehead. Other than his dogs, his favorite “thing” in the world was his 36-foot cruising yacht, Rimwalker, that he has kept in Edgartown harbor on Martha’s Vineyard since 1991 after many years in Marion. In recent years, his favorite sailing outing was to Edgartown outer harbor, out into the Vineyard Sound, and back in and up Katama Bay. Eric loved the open spaces of Chappaquiddick Island, where he had a second home.

Eric was also an accomplished hiker, having climbed many of the peaks in the Adirondack Mountain Range, peaks across New England, in Scotland and British Columbia. His favorite “walk” was up Mount Monadnock, where he spent many Sunday mornings before his family was up and about.

In addition, Eric was also a talented woodworker. He made much of the furniture in his home, and in recent years, he created more than a dozen half-hull boat models that represent a survey of boat design across the ages.

Eric was a lifelong student of history, with a special interest in the U.S. Civil War, and a student of literature, with a special interest in poetry. He enjoyed classic and foreign cinema.

Eric has become inspiration to many because of the courageous way he battled multiple myeloma for 12 years. During the entire 12 years and more, he experienced either the symptoms and complications of the disease itself or side effects of seven years of continuous treatment with no remission ever. His tenacity and quiet bravery inspired many of the doctors and nurses who treated him. His family was told that his Dana Farber oncologist has often told his story to newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients, to give them hope. After this long and hard struggle, Eric finally succumbed to pneumonia as typically occurs with this disease’s signature weakening of the immune system.

He was born in New York city on May 9, 1944. Eric’s parents, both deceased, were Enrique Menoyo and Frances Vilella Menoyo, both born in Puerto Rico.

Eric was raised in Pelham Manor, N.Y., where he attended public schools until graduating from Pelham Memorial High School in 1962. He obtained two degrees from Georgetown University in Washington D.C., a Bachelor’s in Arts and a Juris Doctorate. Eric also received an L.L.M., in Taxation from New York University School of Law.

On August 12, 1967, Eric married Deirdre Caitlin Ryan, later Deirdre C. R. Menoyo, also an attorney. Eric and Deirdre moved to Sudbury on April 1, 1976.

Eric is survived by his wife, Deirdre, his son Ned Menoyo, of Los Angeles, Calif., his daughter Sarah Holch, of Manchester, Mass., his three grandchildren, Magnus Holch, Maisy Holch and Tess Holch, and his sister Frances Lubrano of Greenwich, Conn.

Eric was well loved by his family, to whom he was totally devoted, especially to his wife of 41 years. He had a unique sense of humor and perspective on life. He will be very sorely missed.

A memorial service to celebrate Eric F. Menoyo’s life will be held at noon, on Saturday, April 4, 2009, at the First Parish Church in Sudbury. In lieu of flowers, donations in Eric’s honor to the Sudbury Valley Trustees or the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Foundation would be most appreciated. The family also encourages those who are able to donate blood to the American Red Cross.