Elinor Vernon, 92
Dateline: Palm Harbor, Florida
Elinor (Cross) Vernon , age 92, of Palm Harbor, Florida, formerly of Dunedin, and a long time resident of Mansfield, died peacefully on January 7, 2015, after a brief illness.
Elinor was born on June 11, 1922, in Providence RI. She was a graduate of Mansfield High School, Class of 1940, and the Katharine Gibbs School in Boston.
Elinor was pre-deceased by her husband of 56 years, Edgar P. Vernon, Jr., as well as her mother, Dorothy R. Cross, her father, Albert S. Cross, her brother, William R. Cross, her mother-in-law Raechel Vernon and her father-in-law Edgar P. Vernon, Sr. She is also pre-deceased by her nieces Jacqueline Cross Cullen and Carol Ann Cross Polega and nephews James F. Midwood and A. Stanley Cross III.
Elinor is survived by her brother Albert S. Cross II of Colfax, NC. She was the devoted mother of Charles H. Vernon and his wife Lori of North Kingstown, RI, William B. Vernon and Phoebe McManuis of Norton, MA, and Robert B. Vernon and his wife Ginger Ashton of Roanoke, VA. She was also the adoring grandmother of Timothy, Rebecca, Scott, Gregory, and Andrew Vernon. Also surviving are her beloved sisters-in-law Gladys S. Cross of Mansfield, MA, and Marcia V. Midwood of Centerville, MA, along with many nieces and nephews.
Prior to her retirement to Florida with Edgar in 1985, Elinor was Director of the Alumnae Office at Wheaton College in Norton, MA, where she previously worked in the Development Office. Elinor was for many years part owner of Duncand Fiscal Services in Mansfield, MA.
Elinor was a long time member of the Orthodox Congregational Church in Mansfield, MA, where she was active in the Women’s Fellowship. After retirement, Elinor attended the Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church in Clearwater, FL. Elinor was elected to two terms on the Mansfield School Committee and also served as its Chairperson. She also served on the Everett W. Robinson School Building Committee. Elinor was well known for her charitable activities including volunteer work for the West Side Benevolent Circle in Mansfield and many hours of volunteering at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, MA. In retirement, Elinor was a member of the Red Hat Society, and enjoyed playing bridge with friends and taking visiting family and friends to Clearwater Beach. She received recognition for more than 10,000 hours of volunteer service at Morton Plant Mease Hospital in Dunedin, FL.
Her memorial service, to which relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend, will be held on Saturday, February 7th at 11:00 A.M. in the Mansfield Congregational Church, 17 West St., Mansfield. Burial will be private. Visiting hours are omitted
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Elinor's memory to the Westside Benevolent Circle, P.O. Box 506, Mansfield, MA 02048, the Edgar P. Vernon Memorial Scholarship, Citizens Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Box 23, Mansfield, MA, the Morton Plant Mease Foundation, 1200 Druid Road South, Clearwater, FL 33756, or the Suncoast Hospice Foundation, 5771 Roosevelt Boulevard, Clearwater, FL 33760.
To send the Vernon family a message of condolence, please visit www.shermanjackson.com