Eleanor Ruth Atwood-Tarbell

ELEANOR RUTH ATWOOD-TARBELL born to Harold W. and Edna M. Atwood on May 25, 1934, died on April 15, 2015. Eleanor was ordained as a minister in 1992 and was appointed as a Bishop Coadjutor for the Order of the Companions of St. Thomas (The Apostle) in 2004. She was a faithful member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock, Ark. Eleanor held multiple degrees; Associate in Arts from Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College, Bachelor of Science from the College of Liberal Arts, University of Southern Mississippi and a Masters of Divinity from Colgate Rochester Divinity School, Crozer Theological Seminary. In addition, Eleanor was licensed as a Lay Eucharistic Minister with the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester, N.Y. Furthermore, Eleanor received the honor of being sponsored in the Episcopal Diocese of New York by Bishop John Shelby Spong. She also served as a Minister for Dignity/Integrity in Rochester, N.Y. in 1992. Eleanor was a champion of human rights. Honors Eleanor received during her life include Air Force Wife of the Year for Little Rock Air Force Base in 1970. She volunteered as a Cub Scout Leader, served as a volunteer for Jacksonville Boy Scout Post 216 for many years and joyfully administered communion to shut-ins and those in nursing homes until her health would no longer allow. She is preceded in death by her parents, Harold W. & Edna Atwood of Rochester, N.Y., James Newell Tarbell, former spouse and sons, Allen James Tarbell and David Harold Tarbell. She is survived by one son, Robert N. Tarbell of Antioch, Tenn. and daughter, Barbara L Schmid of Little Rock, Ark. and two grandchildren, Ruby Jane Nichole Dowdle and Sarah Elizabeth McClafferty of Little Rock, Ark., and longtime friend, Robert Merek and former partner Jeannine Scott-Lamb. The family will hold a memorial service for Eleanor at a later date. The family will accept condolences, and requests that those who loved Ellie, share their memories and stories on the ellieatwoodtarbell Facebook page.