Eleanor "Ellie" Dent Brown

"I lived life!" Eleanor "Ellie" Williamson Dent Brown, 81, a native of New Orleans and resident of Baton Rouge, died peacefully on March 28 with her children by her side after a short battle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Ellie, née Eleanor McFerrin Williamson, was born in New Orleans to Laure Murphy Williamson and Charles Samuel Williamson III. She attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart, New Orleans, and graduated from St. Joseph's Academy, Baton Rouge. She was a graduate of Louisiana State University and later earned her Juris Doctor degree from L.S.U. Law School. She was a member of several social and historical organizations and a past board member of numerous civic and professional organizations. As a young entrepreneur, she started Eleanor Dent Realty and quickly established herself as a leader in the community. In the 1970s, she began the movement to save architecturally significant homes in neglected areas by moving and renovating them. Many of them remain notable residences today. In 1987 she moved to Providence, Rhode Island, for a Judicial Clerkship with the Rhode Island Supreme Court. She lived in Providence for many years practicing family law and later arbitration and mediation. She later lived in Washington, D.C. before returning home to New Orleans and, most recently, to Baton Rouge. Ellie was an ardent lover of history, art, and politics. She was an eloquent writer, an enthusiastic traveler, a dedicated runner, and a health enthusiast. She was known for her beauty, unparalleled style, a flair for design, business acumen, and sharp wit. She was a gourmand with a voracious appetite and an enviable 22-inch waistline. She had a life full of successes, but in her words, "my children are my greatest accomplishment." She is predeceased by her parents, a brother George Edward Williamson, and godmother, Virginia Wallace Ward. She is survived by her three children, Fred Columbus Dent III (Amy Horn) of Baton Rouge, Charles Williamson Dent, Catherine Dent Eliasberg (Peter) of Los Angeles, CA, as well as three grandchildren, Connor Columbus Dent, Veronica Grace Dent, and Oliver Thurgood Eliasberg. She is also survived by her brother Charles Williamson IV, and sisters, Laure Williamson of Baton Rouge, and Winifred Williamson Brown (Mark) of New Orleans, a god-daughter, Eleanor Wall, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 2nd from 11- 12:30 at the Baton Rouge City Club, immediately followed by a brief celebration and reception. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the National Prion Disease Center, Case Western Reserve University.