Obituary Donald D. Eddy

Obituary Donald D. Eddy

Donald Davis Eddy, of Longview in Ithaca, New York passed away peacefully on Monday, November 30, 2009 at the age of 80 from myelodysplasia. Born in Norfolk, VA, on April 19, 1929, Don was the son of Clarence Ford and Rebekah (Davis) Eddy.

He graduated from George Rogers Clark High School (Whiting, IN) in 1947. He was a member of the first NROTC program in the country, which made it possible for him to attend Dartmouth College where he majored in chemistry.

Upon his graduation in 1951, he began 4 years of service in the United States Navy. While stationed in Charleston, SC, he met Edith Ann Quattlebaum, marrying her on December 20, 1954. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and was hired by Cornell University in 1961, with a joint appointment in the English Department and the Department of Rare Books, where he remained until his retirement in 1996.

Don was a man of many passions. He loved books, the opera, ballet, and Cornell hockey. He particularly enjoyed lengthy discourse on his favored topics over good food and good drink. Don also had a life-long love of the Adirondacks. He started as a camper at Camp Pok-o-Moonshine and as an adult served on the Board of Governors of the Adirondack Mountain Club. For 25 years, he and his wife Edie co-chaired the annual 10-day canoe outing held at Paul Smith’s College, a community that gave them great joy.He was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Ithaca where he sang in the choir until he could no longer hit the low bass notes in “the Messiah.”

He is survived by his wife, his daughters Evelyn (John Wasilewski) of Portland, CT and Elizabeth (Chris Rucker) of Oakland, CA, his former son-in-law Eric Anderson of Portland, CT, his grandchildren Brendan and Rebekah Anderson of Portland, CT, and many beloved long-time friends and colleagues.

In addition to his parents, he was pre-deceased by his sisters, Helen and Evelyn.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 16, 2010, at 4 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church on Cayuga St., the Rev. Philip Snyder officiating.