Eleanor B. Connerton

Eleanor B. Connerton of Griffin Drive, Hurley died suddenly on Wednesday, March 18, 2009. She was 81. Eleanor was born in Washington, D.C. on May 14, 1927 a daughter of the late Joseph Raymond and Blanche McHale Boylan. She graduated from Trinity College, Washington, D.C. in 1948. She was an active alumni, attending many reunions, including her 60th in 2008. During her undergraduate years, "Agent Eleanor" worked at the F.B.I. and the Federal Reserve Board. She met her husband-to-be, law student Joseph J. Connerton, "by chance" on a visit to her aunt in Pennsylvania. They were married in Feb. 1952, and moved to the Hudson Valley and, for the past 50 years, she has lived in Hurley. Eleanor has served on the Board of Trustees of the Hurley Library for the past 20 years. With her late husband, she was active in the Ulster-Greene ARC. A parishioner of St. Joseph's Church (and its Hurley Mission), she served as Lector and Eucharistic Minister, and was supportive of Dorothy Day's Catholic Worker movement. Mrs. Connerton belonged to P.E.O., a Philanthropic Women's Educational Organization . An avid bridge, scrabble and crossword puzzle player, over the years she enjoyed making a variety of handicrafts and future family heirlooms. She designed and made the "Fitch Office" applique quilt for the Ulster County Bicentennial Quilt. She loved to travel and felt fortunate to have enjoyed many trips with family and friends. She supported many charities, including The Nature Conservancy, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Doctor's Without Borders, Oxfam Famine Relief, and local animal rescue groups. Her husband of 40 years, Joseph J. Connerton died October 12, 1991; her sister, Clarissa Brennan, died in 2000. Surviving are four sons Kevin J. Connerton of Kingston & Freedom, NH; Christopher Connerton and his fiance Jacqueline Rea of Saugerties, Timothy J. Connerton of Athens and Andrew Connerton of Hurley; one daughter Maura Connerton and her fiance Mark Holmes of Denver, CO; two grandsons Christopher and Zia Connerton, many nieces and nephews and her beloved cat, Wilson. Reposing at the Simpson - Gaus Funeral Home, 411 Albany Ave. on Sunday 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. The funeral procession will form on Monday at 9:15 a.m. from the funeral home. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph's Church, Wall Street, at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow in Hurley Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Hurley Library, PO Box 660, Hurley, NY 12443 or Ulster - Greene ARC, 471 Albany Ave., Kingston, NY 12401.