Obituary of Mollie S. Eckelberry

Mollie Stark Eckelberry -- a mother, grandmother, wife, friend, equestrian, artist, author and longtime resident of Muttontown -- passed away peacefully on November 17. She was 95 years old. Throughout her life, caring for nature was a way of life. She was passionate about conservationand environmental issues. She published books on animals and nature, was an avid equestrian, a care-giver to many horses and an artist. Her art and her writing reflect years of first-hand experience.

Mollie was born at home on December 15, 1929, in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Robert Warbrick Stark and Louise Search Wolf. She was the second of three children in a family that resided in Pennsylvania, New York City and Nantucket. Mollie loved Nantucket with a passion, and could often be found surf casting with her father, and racing a catboat, as part of the Rainbow Fleet for the Nantucket Yacht Club. As a young child, Mollie was homeschooled by The Calvert School, then attended and graduated from The Ethel Walker School, in Simsbury, Connecticut. While at Walker's she was a Dial, a member of the Athletic Board, Glee Club, and Art Club, and head of The Riding Club. In 1945, she won the Noble-Uihlein Trophy for the rider who showed most improvement. In order to continue riding her favorite school horse, Moonbeam, the school put Moonbeam on the Nantucket ferry where Mollie would meet her horse with a saddle and ride her up the hill to 90 Main Street, her family's home. After graduating in 1948, she studied life drawing and anatomy at the Art Students League of New York.

Mollie always found a way to make riding part of her life. While living and working in Manhattan, she exercised polo ponies at the Squadron A Armory and in Central Park. On Long Island, her riding continued when John surprised her by giving her Breakers Ahead, a retired, accomplished steeple chase horse, who she rode with the Meadow Brook Hounds. Mollie married the love of her life, John Eckelberry in 1961, and together they raised their three children, Alan, Emily and Sybil, in New York City and Long Island. While living on Nantucket with her son, Alan, she and her cousin, Sally Hazard, at the urging of her father, ambled down to the yacht club, rather than another night of backgammon. There they met two recent Yale graduates, who had been sailing for days. John Eckelberry was one, and the other was Oliver Hazard, who became Sally's husband.

When she wasn't raising children, working with her animals, riding, drawing, or painting, she wrote. She wrote, illustrated, and published five books: Vest Pocket Farm, The Foxes of Kirby Hill, Willa, The Cat Burglar of Castor Bay, and The Planting Field's Fox. Many of Mollie's nature drawings have been reproduced on notecards and other stationary items.

No role gave her more pleasure than being mother and grandmother to her three children and their families: Alan, his wife Anne and their daughter, Madeleine, Emily, her sons Stark and Riggs and their father, Douglas, and John's daughter, Sybil. She embodied the concept of unconditional love, providing support, encouragement and her hallmark sense of humor.

She is survived by her children, her grandchildren, and six nieces and nephews.

A service celebrating the life of Mollie will be held at St. John's of Lattingtown, Locust Valley, NY on Wednesday December 17 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be directed to The Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Connecticut https://support.ethelwalker.org 

Funeral Arrangements entrusted to Oyster Bay Funeral Home.