 from the Lexington Minuteman,
November 18, 2004
Eleanor (Russell) Reycroft, 109
Eleanor (Russell) Reycroft, 109, died Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2004, in Lexington.
Born in Arlington on Jan. 7, 1895, she was the daughter of the late George Otis and Emma (Dupee) Russell and a great-great-granddaughter of Jason Russell, the first civilian killed in the Revolutionary War.
Mrs. Reycroft graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in languages from Wellesley College in 1917 and was the oldest alumna. In 1905 she took up the game of golf and in 1925 won the Connecticut State Tournament. In Massachusetts she was club champion at the Winchester Country Club and Belmont Hill Country Club, in New Hampshire at the Nashua Country Club and the Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Conn., where she was club champion for 25 years and had two holes-in-one. Francis Quimet enlisted her as his teammate in the Massachusetts Pro-Am tournament.
 When unable to golf, she enjoyed bowling and at the age of 89, was club champion in the Class A Division at Brooklawn Country Club. She continued to play golf until the age of 95 and in 1989 and 1990 at the age of 94 and 95 respectively, she won the Connecticut Senior Olympics 1500 meter walking event and was the first centenarian to participate in the Senior Olympic event. At 95, she was the oldest person to row on the Saco River.
Mrs. Reycroft attributed her longevity to a positive attitude and willingly accepting the fact that "life is change."
She is survived by her daughter Judy R. Larson of Carlisle; six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
She was the mother of the late Janice R. Thompson and Joanne R. Crawford.
A memorial service was held at the United Congregational Church, Bridgeport, Conn. on Nov. 11. Interment was in Oak Lawn Cemetery, Fairfield.
Contributions may be made in her memory to the VNA of Greater Bridgeport, 765 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport, CT 6604 or Connecticut State Golf Association Caddy Scholarship Fund, 35 Cold Spring Rd., Suite 212, Rocky Hill, CT 06067.
Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Bedford Funeral Home, Bedford.
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