Plan for the Future
Eleanor Russell Ketcham, also known as Mum-mum, Boo and Elly, passed away peacefully on May 31, 2024 in her home at Lantern Hill in New Providence, New Jersey. She was 93 years of age. Visiting hours will be at Bradley Funeral Home, 345 Main Street, Chatham, NJ on Tuesday, June 4 from 11:00 to 1:00 followed by a prayer service at 1:00pm. Internment is private.
Elly was born and raised in Scarsdale, New York. She attended Scarsdale High School and Mount Holyoke College.
Elly met her husband Robert (Bob) Ketcham at Shenorock Beach Club where Bob was a dashing lifeguard. They were married in November 1951. They raised their family in Bronxville and Scarsdale, NY as well as Wilmington Delaware. Elly and Bob briefly retired to Palm Harbor, Florida but soon relocated back North to Mt Laurel, New Jersey to be near family. Bob and Elly loved to travel, highlighted by memorable vacations in Italy, Bermuda, the Pacific Northwest, Banff in Alberta Canada and a three-month trip to Australia in 1991.
When Elly wasn’t traveling, she adored family vacations on Long Beach Island and in Seattle. She also pursued her passion around healthcare, volunteering in hospitals in the communities where she lived.
Elly’s greatest joy was her family. Together with Bob, Elly raised two wonderful daughters, Ruthanne and Biffy, each of whom gave Elly a beloved granddaughter, Alexandra and Molly. In 2022 Elly celebrated the birth of her Great Grandson, Owen. Two remarkable son-in-laws, Michael and Chris provide the entertainment and humor. A special treat was watching Molly’s husband, Evan Picariello, coach the Chatham High School football team. Elly is especially grateful for the compassionate care she received in her final months from the staff at Lantern Hill.
Elly was pre-deceased by her husband Bob Ketcham.
Elly is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Ruthanne Ketcham Weaver and her husband Michael Weaver, her daughter Elizabeth (Biffy) Ketcham Warren and her husband Christopher Warren and her granddaughters, Alden Weaver and Molly Picariello and her husband Evan Picariello and son Owen.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Eleanor’s memory may be made to St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center.
