Eleanor Crawford Brown

Eleanor Crawford Brown of Wilmington, Delaware, died on April 15, 2026, at the age of 91. She was the daughter of Eleanor Albers Phillips Crawford and Hugh Francis Crawford.

Born in 1934, Eleanor grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, where she graduated from Central High School. Eleanor also attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Eleanor enjoyed competitive tennis and bridge. She was delighted when a professional instructor once chose her to compete in a pro-am bridge match (“I’m the ‘am,’” she assured everyone).

Eleanor was a member of the Junior League, Wilmington Country Club, and the National Society of the Colonial Dames. She was an active member of Christ Church. Eleanor was also a guide at Winterthur Museum, where she studied early Chinese trade. Her expertise included 18th-century export porcelain, lacquered furniture, and hand-painted Chinese wallpaper.

Eleanor loved Camp Tockwogh Family Week, reciting poetry, long walks on the beach (any beach), extravagant Christmases, and a lifetime of family dogs. Most of all she loved being with family and friends.

Eleanor is survived by her children, James L. Patton Jr. (Kathleen Patton) of Wilmington, Delaware; Hugh C. Patton (Lilly Patton) of Brooklyn, New York; and Eleanor Stuart Patton (Kevin Kinsella) of San Francisco, California; her three grandchildren, Kelly Klein (Ricky Klein), Diana Patton-LoveCooksey (Katie Patton-LoveCooksey), and Vivienne Patton; and her great-grandchildren, Nora and Erik Klein—all of whom she shared with her former spouse, James L. Patton. She is also survived by her stepchildren, Catherine B. Sloan (Bob Sloan) of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, and John P. W. Brown VI of Landrum, South Carolina, children of her late husband, John P. W. Brown III.

The family would like to thank the nurses and staff at Stonegates Health Center for their loving care, humor, and grace.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Foundation Fighting Blindness.