Eleanor Armistead Reasoner

Eleanor Marshall Armistead Reasoner, 70, of Dumfries, Va., formerly of Little Rock, Ark., died Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010, at Potomac Hospital, Woodbridge, Va. She was born in Little Rock, Ark., Dec. 8, 1939. Eleanor was the daughter of Virginia Caroline Wheeler Armistead and Henry Marshall Armistead Jr. She was the granddaughter of Joan Elizabeth (Bessie) Murphy Armistead and Henry Marshall Armistead and Bertha Mae Parks Wheeler and John Nimrod Wheeler, all of whom predeceased her. Eleanor was a graduate of Little Rock Central High School. She attended Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia and obtained Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Eleanor married Houck William Reasoner Jr. on Sept. 12, 1961 in Little Rock. They were married for 49 years and had six children. She was a lifetime member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock. She taught English at Central High School, science at Western Hills School, and computer science at Woodruff School, all in Little Rock. For many years she served as a consultant in the field of special education where she advocated for children and adults with special needs. She was a devoted volunteer at Easter Seals where she vowed to carry on her mother's work. Because of this devotion, she was appointed by President William Jefferson Clinton to serve on two State of Arkansas commissions that focused on individuals with disabilities and special education services. As a gifted seamstress, Eleanor spent her leisurely time to creating hand smocked christening gowns, children's clothing, and wedding dresses. This passion led her to ownership of Al-fran's House of Fabric on R Street in Forest Heights. Eleanor was extremely proud of her lineage as family was very important to her. Being a descendant of Robert Morris made her eligible to be a member of Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (DSDI). She is survived by her beloved husband Houck William Reasoner Jr. of Dumfries, Va., her sons Armistead Marshall Reasoner and wife Noel of Dumfries, Va., Stephen Lawrence Reasoner II and wife Amy of Little Rock; her sister Virginia Wheeler Armistead Rohde of Syracuse, N.Y.; her grandchildren Laura Catherine Grafton Citti and husband Brian of Little Rock, Sarah Elizabeth Grafton of Conway and Jacob Eldridge Reasoner of Little Rock; her nephew John William Rohde, and her nieces Elizabeth Armistead Rohde Carbone and Mary Lynn Rohde Mahan, all of Syracuse, N.Y. She is preceeded in death by her daughters Anita Caroline Reasoner Grafton and Martha Amelia Reasoner and her sons Houck William Reasoner III, William Baker Reasoner. Funeral services will be held at 11, Tuesday, Sept. 28 at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 310 West 17th Street, Little Rock, officiated by The Very Rev. Jonathon Jensen, followed by a reception in Morrison Hall and internment in Mount Holly Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Easter Seals of Ark., 3920 Woodland Heights Road, Little Rock, Ark. 72212, or to Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 301 W. 17th Street, Little Rock, Ark. 72206. Arrangements are made by Baker-Post Funeral Home, Manassas, Va.