ELEANOR SOUTHERN

DAMROSCH BLUE HILL – Eleanor Southern Damrosch, known to all as Nell, died Monday, March 13, 2006, at her home in Blue Hill, at the age of 92. She was born in Haynesville, La. to Asa Southern, a banker, and Lucille Southern, a musician. The family grew its own food on five fertile acres, resplendent with gardens and pecan trees. Nell and her twin, Eloise, were spirited and talented belles, the proud owners of the second car in Haynesville, a roadster named “Darnit” in which the two used to”drag Main.” Nell and Eloise attended a women’s college in Texas for two years before abandoning the South for New York City. At Barnard College, Nell, following in her mother’s footsteps, majored in music. She went on to study voice at Juilliard, where she earned her Master of Arts degree and also taught singing there, and sang professionally in several choirs. While at Barnard she met her future husband, Douglas Damrosch, a medical student at Columbia. They were married by Doug’s father, an Episcopal priest. Soon after, Doug joined the Navy and served on a destroyer in World War II. Their first daughter, Barbara, was born while he was at sea. After the war, Doug began practicing pediatrics in New York City, where the family eventually settled. By then it included daughters, Eloise and Anne. Nell devoted herself to her family, but also found time to become a skilled bookbinder, repairing and binding books for the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, where she served as a library volunteer. She did volunteer work for the Young Audiences series, sang with the chorus at the Cosmopolitan Club and was active in town and church affairs in Sherman, Conn., where the family had a vacation home–later a full-time residence. Nell and Doug bought a house in Blue Hill in 1980, where they spent many happy years sailing, gardening and enjoying the musical life of the area. Nell was an active member of the Blue Hill Garden Club and Seven Sisters Downeast. Soon after Doug’s death in 1991, she was one of the first people to move into Parker Ridge when it opened its doors. She enjoyed gardening at her cottage and was a staunch member of the Garden and Trails Committee. Her many friends will remember her as an extremely sociable and empathetic person, an enthusiastic hostess and a splendid cook. She loved traveling and the arts and was an avid reader. Even though her life took her far from her roots, she never lost her small-town southern graciousness. Her daughters and four grandchildren will always be grateful for her bounteous warmth and understanding. Like her own mother, she was very tolerant of children’s ways, patiently allowing all their messy projects, even as she attempted to turn them into young ladies. She sewed their party dresses, taught them to garden and to identify and appreciate wild plants and birds, nurtured creativity in them, and was an advocate for them in the world. She set an example by trying to see other people’s side of an issue or conflict. During the last five years of her life she was in poor health but always seemed radiant, full of life, and without complaint. Although this was her nature, it was greatly helped by the extraordinary care she received from those who looked after of her. At the time of her death she was being attended by nine extraordinary women who had been with her for a long time, Kathleen Beal, Pauline Boyce, Cyndee Carroll, Mary Cevasco, Wendy Clark, Brinna Davis, Bonnie Dean, Lisa Ladd and Lauren Pyle. Nell’s daughters, Barbara Damrosch Coleman, Eloise Damrosch and Anne Damrosch are very grateful to them. A memorial for Nell will be held in Blue Hill in July. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Hancock County Home Health Care or to Kneisel Hall.