Eleanor G. Haskin, 83, passed away in the comfort of her home on Sunday morning, May 3, 2015. Born in Burlington on October 14, 1931, she was the daughter of the late Alton and Eunice F. (Buzzell) Farr. Eleanor was a 1950 graduate of Waitsfield High School and continued her education at the University of Rochester (New York) Eastman School of Music, graduating in 1957.
When her father died in 1940, her mother Eunice became the sole owner of the Waitsfield-Fayston Telephone Co. As a child she helped repair phone lines and while in high school worked in the business office sorting and billing as well as splitting the Sunday operator shift with her mother so the other operators could have the day off. Eleanor learned the industry and business from its infancy.
On March 23, 1952, she married Dana L. Haskin in Waitsfield. Eleanor followed her husband’s military career that took them far from the Mad River Valley. With her mother’s health declining, Eleanor and Dana realized that the business was at a critical juncture and made the decision that keeping the business in the family and coming back to The Valley was the only choice. The move ushered in a new era of progress and leadership at the phone company. Eleanor became active in state, regional and national organizations in the independent phone industry, becoming the first woman president of the Telephone Association of New England (TANE) and was the first woman inducted into the TANE Hall of Fame. In addition, her voice was being heard on the national level through the Organization for the Preservation and Advancement of Small Telephone Companies. In 1980, she was elected its president, the first woman to lead a national telephone industry association. Today Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom is a progressive and innovative company offering a variety of telecommunication options that is a true testimony to Eleanor’s vision and business acumen.
In recent years, Eleanor was able to retire and enjoy her home in East Warren while her sons continue to run the business. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
Eleanor is loved and mourned by her husband, Dana L. Haskin of Warren; their sons, Eric S. Haskin and his wife Anna of Waitsfield, Gregg L. Haskin and his wife Roberta of Berlin and Scott C. Haskin of Hinesburg; grandchildren and great grandchildren. She also leaves her sister-in-law, Ann Haskin Ways of Glendale, California, and brother-in-law, Father Jay Haskin of Stowe.
She was predeceased by her loving daughter, Susan Haskin Simms, on July 14, 2003, as well as Eleanor’s infant brother, Alton Farr Jr.
Funeral services will be held at Waitsfield United Church of Christ on May 14, 2015, at 2 p.m. Private burial services will take place in the Waitsfield Village Cemetery. A reception will follow services at Waitsfield Telecom in Waitsfield. The family requests that flowers be omitted; rather memorial gifts would be appreciated to Mad River Valley Ambulance Service, P.O. Box 305, Waitsfield, VT 05673, or to Relay for Life of Central Vermont, c/o Tammy Field, P.O. Box 9, Waitsfield, VT 05673. Assisting the family is Perkins-Parker Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Waterbury. To send online condolences please visit www.perinsparker.com and Facebook.
