Barbara Ela

Barbara Ela of Pancake Road, Wilmot Flat, NH died at the Clough Center, New London on August 26th at the age of 95. Preston Carleton Ela, her husband, died in 1983, just after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.Barbara was born in Braintree, Ma, the daughter of Sarah Moulton Kelley and Henry Davis Higgins. She graduated from Thayer Academy in Braintree, attended Ward Belmont and Skidmore colleges and graduated from Boston University. She and her husband settled in Marshfield, Ma in 1934, where they raised four daughters. Barbara and Preston were active in the Marshfield Country Club, the Badminton Club and the Marshfield Marching and Chowder Club. They bought their old cape in Wilmot Flat in 1964, coming to NH weekends and vacations to ski Sunapee, Cannon, King Ridge and Ragged Mountains. They retired to Wilmot Flat in 1973. Barbara Ela was a competitive sportswoman, reader, gardener and bridge player. She enjoyed golf, playing first at Kearsarge CC and later at Lake Sunapee CC. She was an avid tennis player and skier and graced the courts and slopes well into her eighties. She will be remembered for her sense of humor, her enjoyment of life, her feisty and no-nonsense style and her devotion to family. Barbara spent the final years of her life at New London's Clough Center where she received excellent care. She is survived by her four daughters: Janet LeBoutilllier of Old Lyme, Ct., Nancy MacLeod of Wilmot Flat, NH, Bobbie Randall of Springfield, VT and Connie Ottey of Kalispell, MT. She will be missed by her friends and family, including 10 grandchildren 20 great-grandchildren. A simple ceremony and scattering of ashes will take place on Friday, August 29th at 11am. at her home on Pancake Road in Wilmot Flat. A social gathering with refreshments will follow the short service, and family and friends are welcome to attend. Donations in memory of Barbara Ela may be made to Wilmot Public Library or New London's Tracy Memorial Library. The Cremation Society of New Hampshire is in charge of arrangements. To view an on-line memorial, sign the guestbook or for more information, go to www.csnh.com.