| Eloise Rea Nelson |
Eloise Rea Nelson
Of Newark, died on April 14, 2011 just after her
86th birthday, from respiratory failure caused by
pneumonia. Born Eloise Arnold Rea on February 27,
1925, to the late Harry Rea and Julia Eller Rea in
Washington, D.C., she was raised in Anacostia by her mother's sister,
Lottie Eller Signor, and her husband, Frederick Signor, upon Julia's death
in a later childbirth.
Nicknamed "Wee", she held first honors and graduated in 1942 from
Eastern High School where she helped staff the library. Future husband
Frank Erle Nelson also attended Eastern and upon graduation entered the
war-time Naval Officer Training Program at Georgia Tech where he
studied engineering. Eloise worked at the Library of Congress and
accepted proposal of marriage after a first date. She was librarian for the
Georgia Tech school of architecture.
They married on June 23, 1945, as Frank began active duty as an ensign
on the late-war aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. The couple was lovingly
inseparable throughout their 63 years together. A shared love of animals
nurtured a long series of house cats in their Brookside home, where they
were among the first households in that new post-war suburban
community. They were staunch supporters of the Delaware S.P.C.A.,
Plumpton Park Zoo in Rising Sun, MD, and devoted countless volunteer
hours caring for and rehabilitating wild birds at Tri-State Nature Center.
Eloise loved eclectic history, from ancient Rome and Egypt, to America's
patriotic heritage from colonial times to the present. She found connection
to those pasts through voracious readings, museums, historic sites and the
collection and study of everyday things. She teased out occasional
treasures from regional flea markets and antique shops, where she
developed friendships with many a dealer. A volunteer guide at Winterthur,
she delighted in both learning from Americana and sharing insights with
guests. She was an accomplished textile folk artist, with creations ranging
from full-size quilts, wall tapestries and colonial women's clothing to
needle-work book marks. An originator of the St. Thomas Episcopal
Church antique show, she served with the Altar Guild, was a Communion
Assistant and a Lay Eucharist Minister coordinating Senior Visitation of
shut-ins, nursing homes and retirement homes.
In the 1980s and 90s, the couple often cruised the rock-bound coast of
Maine on windjammers and travelled extensively in the American West,
Canada, Great Britain, France and Russia, with a special fascination for
nature, castles and cathedrals. She enjoyed leisurely day sailing on Frank's
Snipes and Lightnings, but did not share his thrill for competitive racing
and so sometimes found herself a seasonal sailing widow on race
weekends. Eloise practically invented "scrapbooking" and in addition to
recording Nelson family stories with camera and narrative, preserved fond
memories and mementos of those many exotic explorations.
Beloved husband Frank died in 2008. Daughter S. Anne Rae resides
near Valley Forge, PA. Son Dean Erle Nelson and daughter-in-law Joanne
Gamsby Nelson reside in Southington, CT, with grandson Thomas Erle
Nelson, in Wichita, KS, and granddaughter Andrea Lynn Nelson in San
Francisco, CA. Nieces, nephews and their respective children reside in
variously in Virginia, North Carolina and California.
Memorial services are Saturday, May 7, at 11 am at St. Thomas
Episcopal Church, 276 South College Avenue, Newark, DE. Interment is
private.
