Eleanor “Ele” Dietrich Farrow died in Ventura on March 19 at age 99. Close family surrounded her until the moment she died.
Farrow was born in Los Angeles and attended Los Angeles High School and UCLA, where she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She married Bruce Farrow, who died in 2002, and is survived by three children: Diane Farrow Sanson, Chris Farrow-Noble and Scott Farrow. Her son Don Farrow died in 1976.
The Dietrich family bought property at the end of Wildlife Road in Malibu in 1949, and her family has frolicked on the beach at Little Dume for over 67 years.
“Her legacy of loving the ocean is carried on by her surfing grandsons, Kai Sanson, Brett Sanson, Carter Blackwell, and their children,” a loved one said.
Although Farrow was legally blind with macular degeneration, she wrote regularly in her later years. She co-founded Lake San Marcos Writer’s Group and published an autobiography, “Trees I Have Loved and Respected,” and “‘Joy’ Prose, Poetry and Stories.”
“Her optimistic spirit and sense of humor is evident in her writings,” a loved one said. “Ele or ‘Mrs. Farrow’ always welcomed all beach guests with her huge smile, a listening ear and a plate of spaghetti. She was deeply loved and will be sorely missed.”
Donations may be made to the Braille Institute, Untours Foundation or a charity of your choice.