Elinore Baker Towle

1940 - 2025

Elinore B. Towle

September 25, 1940 - October 15, 2025

Elinore B. Towle, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and cherished member of the Vermont community, passed away at home on October 15, 2025, surrounded by her family.

Born September 25, 1940 in Parkersburg, West Virginia, as a twin, Elinore was raised in Marietta, Ohio, where she graduated from Marietta High School. As a teenager, she kept and rode horses and raised thousands of tomato plants to help pay for college. Elinore went on to graduate from Oberlin College with a B.A. in English Literature in1962.

While at Oberlin, Elinore's commitment to social justice fully took root. In the early 1960s, she traveled to Mississippi to work on the Mississippi Free Press, a civil rights newspaper, during a time of great turmoil and danger. Her experiences in the South, including attending the trials of the Freedom Riders, remained a defining chapter in her life. Elinore's convictions and her history of early courage during difficult political times always inspired those around her.

Elinore later attended Andover Newton Theological School for two years and ultimately earned her M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Antioch University. Children and families were her lifelong passion and she made both a focus in her career. She was a Le Leche League leader for over a decade, assisting new parents to nurse new babies with care and confidence. She served as an Educational Counselor at Community College of Vermont supporting students of all ages. She worked for 25 years at Youth Services in Windham County as a Family Therapist and also as Clinical Director where she guided and supported countless young people and their families. In her later years, she continued her dedication in private practice counseling families through difficult times.

In 1963, Elinore married Brownlow "Brownie" Towle, beginning a devoted partnership that spanned sixty-two years. Together, they made their home in Dummerston, Vermont, where they raised their four children-William, Carrie, Daniel, and Joseph-amid vegetable and flower gardens, dogs, chickens, ducks, geese, goats, and the occasional pig. She often said of all her jobs, her favorite was when she was a stay-at-home parent for 11 years while her 4 children were young. Elinore's cooking - especially her pies - was legendary. Mealtimes in her household were special and always a place of warmth and comfort.

Elinore is survived by her devoted husband, Brownie; her children, William, Carrie, Daniel, and Joseph; and her grandchildren: Magdalena, Jackson, Liliana, Morgan, Spencer, Liam, Abigail, Bronwyn, and Finian. She is also survived by her twin brother, William M. Baker of Spartanburg, SC, and was predeceased by her parents, Leo M. and Martha H. Baker, and her brother, Thomas (Scott) M. Baker.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Elinore's name to La Leche League of Massachusetts/Rhode Island/Vermont or the Winston Prouty Center for Child and Family Development. Alternatively, the family encourages you to plant flowers of your own and remember Elinore when they bloom. A private celebration of life will be held by the family in the summer of 2026.