January 4, 1923 - May 14, 2002
Eleanor was born in Shamrock, Missouri, the oldest of three daughters. Her father, Leslie Morrison, was a postal carrier, and her mother, Ellen, was a homemaker. Eleanor grew up in central Missouri, played the oboe, and graduated from Salisbury High School in 1940. She went on to college at Central Methodist College in Fayette, Missouri, intending to become a business teacher.
She met her future husband, Charles Rother, in Astronomy Class. They were married November 26, 1943. The couple moved to Dallas so Charles could enroll at seminary at SMU. Eleanor graduated from SMU with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1946.
That fall they moved to their first church assignment in tiny Cabool, Missouri. John was born in April and Eleanor washed diapers on the wood cooking stove. Two years later in 1948 the family moved to a church in inner-city St. Louis, and the twins Mark and Nancy were born the following June.
They moved again in 1950 to Lafayette, Louisiana, where Charles began his career in student ministry at Southwestern Louisiana University. Finally, they came to the Washington, DC area in 1952 where Charles was called to be the education minister at Chevy Chase Methodist Church. Eleanor worked as the office manager in Wetzel Real Estate in Georgetown, DC until the birth of her fourth child, Paul, in January 1954.
In addition to being the minister's wife and entertaining generations of young Methodists in the parsonage basement, Eleanor had a full professional career. Beginning later in 1954, she worked for 13 years at Frederick Research Corp in Bethesda, becoming assistant controller. In 1967, she moved to Human Sciences Research in Tysons Corner, Virginia, becoming Treasurer, a job she truly loved, and stayed there for the next 15 years. Finally, in 1982, she worked 6 years for Adler Associates as manager of investments.
During this time, Eleanor became active in church life at Bethesda Methodist Church, served as President of the DC chapter of the American Society of Women Accountants, served as a Red Cross volunteer at NIH for 23 years, and was an active member of the AAUW. Her marriage ended in 1976.
Eleanor retired in 1988 and began a second career as a world traveler and amateur archeologist. Her first trip was a month's tour of South America, where she got to visit Macchu Pichu. She traveled to Italy, Spain, Mexico, Bermuda, Iceland and Hawaii, as well as all over the continental U.S. In her 75th year, she traveled to China. She enjoyed collecting all kinds of mementoes and beautiful objects from her trips.
Eleanor moved to Asbury Village in 1991, and quickly became the informal cultural coordinator, organizing trips to Olney theater and symphony concerts at the Kennedy Center. She enjoyed bringing others to the cultural events she loved so dearly. She volunteered for oversight committees at Asbury and also joined the PEO woman's organization.
Eleanor loved nature and natural life. She shared her interests in geology, seashells, and plant life with her children, and loved to work in the garden.
Eleanor had successful emergency open-heart surgery in 1998, but was otherwise in remarkably good health. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor in December, 2001, and underwent surgery on her 79th birthday in January. Her last days were at the Casey House hospice, where she was surrounded by family and friends. She died peacefully in her sleep.
She is survived by her sons John Rother of Chevy Chase, Mark Rother of Silver Spring, daughter Nancy Carpenter of Raymore, Missouri, and son Paul Rother of Santa Monica, California. Her surviving sister, Helen Jean Flaspohler, lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She leaves five granddaughters, Elizabeth, Beth, Rebecca, Katheryn, and Ariel, and three grandsons, Nathanael, Harley, and Daniel. She also leaves a greatgrandson, Miguel.
A small graveside service was held May 15th, at Parklawn Cemetery. Rockville, Maryland. A memorial service was held at 2PM, May 16th at Asbury Village. Donations in her memory can be made to the Olney Theater, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd., Olney, MD 20832 or to the Casey House Hospice 6001 Muncaster Mill Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20855.