Grace Elizabeth Eckel's Obituary
Grace Eckel, 89, of Gainesville, Florida, died on January 12, 2018. Born Grace Elizabeth Godfrey on June 7, 1928, she was the fourth child of eight born to Eugene Linaberry Godfrey (1899 - 1978) and Jenny Elvira Kinney (1901 - 1971).
Mrs. Eckel grew up on the family farm in Franklin Town¬ship, Warren County, New Jersey and was Valedictorian of the class of 1946 at Washington (NJ) High School. She graduated from the School of Nursing, Jersey City Medical Center, in 1949, and worked both as a nurse and homemaker for many years.
She married Carl Conrad Eckel of Bergenfield, NJ, on June 17, 1950, at her parents’ home. They were devoted to each other and celebrated 66 years of marriage a few months before her husband's death in 2016. As members of the Audubon Society, Mr. and Mrs. Eckel enjoyed many years of amateur ornithology together, keeping daily records of bird observations for over five decades. She was an excellent cook and baked all the family's bread for more than 40 years. Mrs. Eckel also enjoyed reading and was an avid fan of Masterpiece Theatre. During their marriage the Eckels lived in Hartford, CT; Camden County, NJ; Way¬land, MA; and retired to Gainesville, FL in 1995. In her retirement, Mrs. Eckel did extensive genealogical work on her family.
She is survived by two brothers and two sisters, her four children, David Eckel of Newberry, FL; Helen Stark of Bellingham, MA; William Eckel of Alexandria, VA; and Robert Eckel of Worcester, MA, as well as seven grand¬children and one great-grand¬child.
Donations in her name may be made to the National Audubon Society,
https://action.audubon.org/donate/make-tribute-gift.
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