Elinor Neville

Born July 14, 1942, in Winchester, MA, to a large family of 15, survived by her brother Richard Lindsey. She was most recently from Leominster, MA, and passed away on August 17, 2024, at 82. She was predeceased by her devoted husband, the Rev. Dr. Joseph Neville. Ellie is survived by her daughter, Elisabeth Neville Ambler (husband David) of Marblehead, MA. She also leaves behind many, many nieces, nephews, and loving and devoted family members. 

Having grown up in Winchester, MA, there was a firm bond, and there were many memories and stories of her upbringing and strong relationships with childhood friends. And not to mention that Winchester/Woburn rivalry.

Ellie pursued and received a bachelor's degree at Tufts University. Upon graduation, she worked at Addison-Wesley, known for publishing textbooks and computer literature. By the early 1980s, she had moved to the copy desk of The Eagle-Tribune in Lawrence, where she was much esteemed by colleagues for her attention to detail and sense of humor. She later became Chief of the copy desk.

In 1986, she added "Religion Editor" to her title. Her 1988 profile of the Rev. Alfred Jones of Third Baptist Church and his Black congregation in Lawrence is archived on the "Teaching Hidden Histories" website at essexheritage.org.

She later joined The Eagle-Tribune's Lifestyle Department; one of her favorite assignments was interviewing a local celebrity for a regular Sunday feature.

As the author of "Special Obituaries," she showed great sensitivity to grieving family members as she produced -- on deadline -- a fuller picture of a life well-lived.

She was an early adapter of layout software and newspaper pagination, leading the way to produce the Lifestyle section.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, she volunteered as a chief mentor for a summer journalism program for minority students at the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Ellie strongly supported the American Cancer Society and continued to participate in Daffodil Days, inspired in part by her sister Rosemary's battle with breast cancer.

When her beloved husband Joe's work as an area minister took him to the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ in 1996, the two left their longtime MA. home to move to CT.

Soon after, she was hired as a copy editor at The Hartford Courant. She and Joe both retired in 2006, moving to Pinehills in Plymouth, MA.

In the five years before his death of multiple myeloma in 2011, they traveled regularly, including several cruises and a memorable trip to the pyramids of Mexico. 

Ellie maintained close relationships with her many siblings and family, as well as a wide variety of friends and former coworkers. 

A special thanks to the many caregivers who treated her with such respect and care at the end of her journey. 

A Memorial Service and Interment will be held at Winchester Congregational Church, 21 Church St., Winchester, MA on September 21, 2024, at 1:00 PM.

Instead of flowers, donations may be made to the Tufts School of Medicine.