In loving memory of
Eleanor M. Whitfield
March 14, 1942 — October 2, 2025
“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.”
— David Viscott, a favourite of hers
About & life story
A life measured in kindnesses.
Eleanor — Ellie to nearly everyone — was born in the spring of 1942 on a small dairy farm outside Burlington, the eldest of four. She grew up reading at the kitchen table while bread rose beside her, a habit that never quite left her.
After studying English at the University of Vermont, she spent thirty-one years teaching literature at Edmunds Middle School, where she was known for staging Shakespeare in the gymnasium and keeping a tin of shortbread in her desk drawer for any student having a hard week.
She met James in 1967 at a Joan Baez concert and married him the following summer. Together they raised three children, kept a garden that was the unofficial envy of Maple Street, and hosted a Sunday supper that anyone in town was welcome to join, no RSVP required.
In retirement she took up watercolour, volunteered at the public library's literacy program, and became, in her own words, "a terrible but enthusiastic" birdwatcher. She is survived by James, her three children and seven grandchildren, who will carry her kindness forward in every room they enter.
A life in chapters
Timeline
Scroll or click any milestone to read more. Eight decades, lightly held.
The eldest of four, on the family dairy farm.
Studied English literature on a state scholarship.
Joined Edmunds Middle School, where she would stay 31 years.
At a Joan Baez concert in Montpelier.
A small ceremony in her parents' orchard.
Margaret, Thomas, and Claire.
Honoured by three decades of former students.
A late-career passion; her studio was the sunporch.
Tutored adult learners in reading for seven years.
Surrounded by family, with a book on her bedside.
Immediate family
Family tree
Photo & video gallery
In her own light.
A growing archive of images and short films. Click any tile to enlarge. New submissions are reviewed by the family before going public.
Watch
Tributes & short films.
Virtual candle wall
Light a candle in her memory.
A quiet ritual. Every candle lit here stays lit for the week of mourning.
- Claire“For the best mom a person could hope for.”1h ago
- Tom“Miss you already, Ma.”3h ago
- Marg5h ago
- Helen“With love from across the yard.”yesterday
- Sam O.“Thank you, Mrs. Whitfield.”yesterday
- The Edmunds Class of '882 days ago
- David“Rest easy, dear friend.”2 days ago
- Ruth & Eli3 days ago
Memories & condolences
A wall of small, true things.
Messages are reviewed by the family before appearing publicly. Take your time.
- Margaret Whitfield-ReyesDaughter · 2 days ago
“Mom taught me to read by candlelight during the '77 ice storm, and made me feel like the power was out on purpose so we'd have an adventure. I carry that with me every time the lights flicker.”
- Rabbi David ChenFamily friend · 3 days ago
“Ellie once drove forty minutes in a blizzard to bring chicken soup to a student who was homesick. She told me afterwards, almost apologetically, "I had the soup already made." That was her.”
- Samuel OkaforFormer student, Class of '91 · 4 days ago
“Mrs. Whitfield made me play Hamlet when I was twelve and terrified. She stood just off-stage with her hand over her heart the whole time. I've thought about that small, steady gesture my entire adult life.”
- Helen BaxterNeighbour, 38 years · 5 days ago
“Our kitchens faced each other across the yard. Ellie had a system of waves through the window — a quick two for hello, a slow one for tea? A long one for come, something's wrong. I will miss that window terribly.”
Memorial service
We gather to remember her.
- Date
- Saturday, October 18, 2025
- Time
- 2:00 – 4:00 PM
- Venue
- First Unitarian Society of Burlington
152 Pearl Street, Burlington, VT 05401 - Dress
- Smart casual. Ellie asked that no one wear black on her account.
- After
- A reception with tea and shortbread will follow at the family home.
Support & donations
Keep her work going.
In lieu of flowers, the family invites contributions to a fund that will support adult literacy programs at the Fletcher Free Library — a cause that was close to Ellie's heart.
Eleanor Whitfield Literacy Fund
213 contributors- Memorial FundEleanor Whitfield Literacy FundFletcher Free LibraryContribute →
- CharityUVM Medical Center Palliative CareIn gratitude for her care teamDonate →
- Flowers & GiftsSugar Maple FloristLocal, family-ownedSend flowers →
- Meal trainFor James & the familyDrop-offs, Oct 6 – Nov 1Sign up →
A few of her favourite things
The small list.
Not the whole library. Just the books, songs, and habits she returned to most.
- BookMiddlemarchGeorge Eliot
- BookA Tree Grows in BrooklynBetty Smith
- PoemThe Peace of Wild ThingsWendell Berry
- SongDiamonds & RustJoan Baez
- SongMoon RiverHenry Mancini
- RecipeSunday shortbreadher grandmother's hand-written card
- PlaceThe porch at duskMaple Street
- HabitReading aloudto anyone who would listen
Acknowledgments
With gratitude to…
The nurses and aides of the UVM Home Hospice team, who made her last months a quiet grace.
Dr. Naomi Patel and the palliative care staff at UVM Medical Center.
Neighbours on Maple Street, who kept the porch lights on.
The congregation of First Unitarian Society, for forty years of friendship and casseroles.
The Fletcher Free Library literacy volunteers, her second family.