Eleanor (Ellie) White Morrison died peacefully in her sleep on Feb. 4 with her family and friends at her side. She was 93 years old. Born in New York City in 1921 and raised in the Bronx, she met her husband, Hugh William Morrison, in high school. Hugh and Eleanor moved to Hicksville, Long Island in 1950 where they raised their three children, Ken, Laurie, and Jim. Hugh died in 2002, after 56 years of mutual devotion.
While living in the Bronx, Eleanor and Hugh were active members of the Westchester Methodist Church and, since 1950, the Hicksville United Methodist Church where Ellie enthusiastically sang in the choir into her 80s.
The youngest of five children, Eleanor was lovingly included on her wild-spirited older brothers’ outdoor adventures. She delighted in all family gatherings and warmly embraced her children’s life partners. She took much joy in people of all ages and walks of life. Her warm personality and nonjudgmental character continued to attract new friends until the end.
Although she never attended college, she was an avid reader with a keen intellect, reading the NY Times Book Review weekly for 60 years. She served as a nurses aid during World War II and was a loyal volunteer at the Cerebral Palsy Center in W. Hempstead, LI for 25 years.
Ellie had a deep affinity for nature, always inspired by the woods, hills and streams of New England, with a particular fondness for Vermont. She loved the ocean, especially, as well as gardening, flowers and birds.
Eleanor played games of all sorts throughout her life with intense gusto and skill, from croquet to card and word games. She bowled in a league into her 80s and took up cross-country skiing at age 65. She became a world traveler later in life, traveling with Hugh to Alaska, Norway, Israel, Switzerland, and Australia to name only a few destinations.
In the fall of 2013 after 63 years on Long Island, Ellie moved to Vermont to be closer to her daughter. She became a beloved member of the Valley Terrace community in Wilder, Vermont. Although her energy had decreased she still was always up for a card game (often winning), a trip to the theater, a meal out, or some other adventure. Her quick wit and lightness of being were her hallmark; her unconditional affection for everyone she met was her legacy.
Eleanor is survived by her children: Ken, Laurie and Jim, Laurie’s partner Nancy Crumbine, Jim’s partner Mark McMullen; her grandchildren: Brian and James Morrison, Jacob and Matthew Crumbine. Ken’s wife Carole predeceased Eleanor on Dec. 18, 2014.
