Eleanor Ruth Boynton Garside

Eleanor Ruth Boynton Garside

1929-2023

Eleanor passed away peacefully on May 5, 2023 at her home,
The Inn at Village Square in Gorham, Maine, at the age of 93.
She was born on December 2, 1929 at her childhood home in
Washington, Maine. Her parents were Ruth Emily Overlock
Boynton and Goodwin Earl Boynton. She was the youngest of
four children, and to her family’s delight, Eleanor loved to share
the shenanigans of their childhood.
Eleanor attended elementary school in Washington where her
mother had been a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse. She
graduated from Union High School where she was
valedictorian, as well as editor and creator of her school’s
yearbook. Always thinking of others, she organized a magazine
drive so all members of her class of 1947 could go on their class
trip to New York City. Following her high school graduation,
Eleanor moved to Augusta where she worked in both retail and
for the State of Maine. She met her husband, Walter, at Doc’s
Lunch and delighted in telling us how they would dance there
with jukebox music! Eleanor and Walt married in 1950 when
she was employed at New England Telephone. This job was a
favorite one and interestingly, was just before “dial” services
came into existence. Crazily, as the times would have it, she
had to sadly leave this job after three years because they
noticed she was pregnant with her daughter, Deb! Eleanor was
probably best known by residents of Augusta as working at
JCPenney for 23 years where she ran the women’s department.

Eleanor and Walter continued loving to dance as the years went
by. They also enjoyed camping in Maine and Canada with their
daughter. Hobbies included raising Boston Terriers, gardening,
and enjoying time spent with family and friends. A favorite
holiday was Christmas as it was Walter’s birthday, and Eleanor
always made ice cream and invited the family to celebrate.
Her most favorite occasions, however, were when her
granddaughter, Emily, visited for “time with Nana and
Grandpa.” She cherished the role of being a grandparent.
Emily and Eleanor had an incredible bond that defied distance.
She was extremely proud of her and managed to get into most
new conversations that Emily had indeed become an
optometrist.
Eleanor sold her home in 2005 and moved to Unity Gardens in
Windham. She attended all the functions there, and was
always asked by Southern Maine on Aging to gather up other
residents to tag along. In 2018 she moved to The Inn at Village
Square, an assisted living facility.
Though formally she was Eleanor (named after Eleanor
Roosevelt), her friends at The Inn fondly called her Ellie. To a
very special few she was Nana G. This title was by far her
favorite. She and her husband, Walter, went dancing the night
their granddaughter, Emily, was born. That joy tripled with the
births of her three great grandchildren.

Eleanor was predeceased by her husband of 52 years, Walter
Ashe Garside; her brother, Rodney Boynton (Washington,
Maine); and her sisters, Norma Wheeler (Augusta, Maine) and
Lois Smith (York, Maine).
As the last remaining member of her siblings, Eleanor was a
loving connection to a previous generation. This was especially
important to her nieces and nephews as she would share fond
memories and experiences she had with Rodney, Norma, and
Lois. As one cousin just wrote, “Auntie is our connection to
another era that we so cherish - we love her dearly - one of our
tribe - who understands from whence we come.” Eleanor
especially loved sharing how her family would “gather around
the radio” and listen so respectfully to President Franklin
Roosevelt. She spoke with pride how she volunteered as an
aircraft observer with her mom during World War II.
Most importantly, perhaps, is how family and friends will
remember her as a positive, friendly, curious, and hardworking
individual with a great sense of humor. She was an incredibly
supportive mother her entire lifetime. Her bright smile will
always be remembered; her spirit will live on through her
inquisitive and spunky great grandchildren.
Eleanor will be missed immensely by her daughter, Debra Ruth
Garside Ledoux, and her son-in-law, Roger Ledoux, (whom she
lovingly called her “son with no labor pains”); her
granddaughter, Emily Ruth Clark O’Meara, and her husband,
Liam O’Meara of Annapolis, Maryland; her great grandchildren,

Finn Thomas, Cormac Walter, and Maeve Eleanor O’Meara; her
sister-in-law, Patsy Garside Crockett of Augusta; many nieces
and nephews; and lots of friends. Eleanor was also loved as a
“surrogate mom” by many of Deb’s friends.
Eleanor’s family would like to thank the incredibly caring staffs
at The Inn at Village Square and Affinity Care of Maine Hospice.
Arrangements are in care of Wilson Funeral Home in Gray.
There will be a private burial. A Celebration of Life will be held
in August, details to be determined. Friends and family are
lovingly invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, the family would
like to support the activity fund at The Inn at Village Square.
You may send a donation to the following:
The Inn at Village Square
123 School Street
Gorham, Maine 04038
(Attention: Activity Fund)

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