Eloise Collingwood Prescott died Wednesday, July 5, 2023, at the age of 100, at Kendal at Hanover, NH. Born November 13, 1922, in Ithaca, NY, Ellie was the third of six children of George Harris Collingwood, a professor of forestry at Cornell University, and Jean Cummings Collingwood. The family soon moved to Washington, D.C., where they lived for most of Ellie's childhood. Her father, author of the textbook, Knowing Your Trees, spent his Washington years with the American Forestry Association and the National Lumber Manufacturers Association. As one of the nation's leading conservation experts, he made numerous appearances before congressional and state legislatures, and was ultimately appointed to the Library of Congress Legislative Reference Bureau. It is from Harris Collingwood that Ellie learned to love nature, and from her mother Jean she learned the art of homemaking. Being the eldest girl in the family meant she was relied on for those homemaking skills.

Eloise attended Western College for Women, Oxford, OH, now part of Miami University. During that time, Ellie visited Mexico with girlfriends, a trip which she fondly remembered. There she learned how to make tortillas. After two years at Western, Ellie met Baxter Prescott, Dartmouth Class of 1939, at a Washington, D.C. cocktail party. She enchanted him with tales of Mexico, and struggled to remember if his name was Baxter Prescott or Prescott Baxter. The young bachelor worked for the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, and lived with five other bachelors. He was ready to get married and Ellie was concerned he would not wait for her if she went back to college. On January 6, 1945, Baxter Carpenter Prescott and Eloise Collingwood were wed.

His long career with the C&P Telephone Company brought Baxter and his young bride to the mountain state of West Virginia. Only one of their six children was not born in this lovely state – Susan having been born in Washington, D.C. Phone company transfers to Huntington, WV, 1948; Beckley, WV, 1951; Wheeling, WV, 1952; and Charleston, WV 1958/1960, each saw the birth of a child until reaching Charleston where two were born. Respectively born were Deborah, Thomas, Patricia, Laura and Sarah. Baxter's mother, Laura S. Prescott (Lorie), joined the family in their Charleston home, and soon Ellie was serving dinner to a household of nine.

During the Charleston years (from 1958 to 1976) Ellie was a remarkable mother, finding time to play tennis, ice skate, sew from Vogue patterns, knit sweaters, garden, host parties for the Charleston symphony and enhance her cooking and baking skills to include "The Art of French Cooking" and Chinese cuisine. She took classes at the local college and enjoyed Dartmouth College's Alumni college classes. Among her influences were Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Marshall McLuhan, Joseph Campbell, and Betty Friedan of "The Feminine Mystique" fame. In 1960 Baxter and Ellie built their dream home in South Hills on Comstock Place (Ellie liked to call it the Comstock "Load").

When Baxter retired from his 35-year career with the C&P Telephone Company in 1976 he and Ellie decided to move to the town of his alma mater, Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH, by way of a year in Stoneham, MA. More moves for Ellie came as they ultimately built and settled into a beautiful home on Grant Road, Hanover, NH. Son Tom and his wife Barbara moved to an adjacent lot where they remain today and have been an enormous support for the family.
During these years Ellie supported Baxter in his building projects and gardening, and welcomed children and grandchildren for visits. A grandchild remembers: "I have many fond memories of visiting her house as a child – the smell of homemade soup and bread will always make me think of her. I'll always picture her hands with flour on them as she kneaded dough in the kitchen." Ellie also continued sewing projects, and supported the Montshire Museum of Science where she launched the Magic Carpet luncheons which helped fund the museum. She also loved her time at Dartmouth's Hood Museum of Art where she served as a docent. Ellie stayed fit and found relaxation by swimming at The River Valley Club and later at The Woodlands in Lebanon.

More moves were in store for Ellie as Baxter's ability to "farm" his property waned. Ellie and Baxter moved to Pinewood Village in Lebanon, NH. Ultimately, Bax and Ellie hoped to join The Woodlands, a senior living community. However, building delays prevented that move until 2010, and just months before the move, Baxter died. Ellie and Baxter had been married 65 remarkable years.

Ellie enjoyed life at The Woodlands from 2010 to 2019. She loved the convivial dinners each evening and for a time managed the weekly movie night. Ellie was a whiz at emailing and kept in touch with children and grandchildren.
Ellie moved to Kendal at Hanover in 2019 where she passed away July 5, 2023.

Ellie is predeceased by her five siblings, her husband, Baxter, and two children, Patricia and Laura. She is survived by four children: Susan, Deborah, Thomas and Sarah, eight grandchildren, and eleven great grandchildren.

A memorial is being planned by the family for a later time. Friends and family interested in sharing reminiscences or photographs are invited to post them at https://bit.ly/46zImK5.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Eloise C. Prescott may be sent to the following:

* Montshire Museum of Science Attn: Courtney Adams, 1 Montshire Road, Norwich, VT 05055 For more information call: 802-649-2200.
* Utah Genealogical Association, PO Box 1144, Salt Lake City, UT 84110.
Checks payable to Utah Genealogical Association, and note Laura G. Prescott Scholarship in the memo line. For more information call: 801-259-4172.
* Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Medical & Healthcare Advancement, Attn: Gift Recording.
One Medical Center Drive, HB 7070, Lebanon, NH 03756-0001

Checks payable to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. For more information call: 603-653-0700.