Plantsville, CT – Elaine Stewartson Hallett passed peacefully on July 18th, 2026 at Live Well residence, Plantsville, CT. where she had been a resident since 2025. Elaine was born on March 26, 1935, the daughter of Grace (Tyson) Stewardson and Wallace Kennedy Stewartson of Windsor, CT. As a child, she excelled as a student, studied piano and enjoyed horseback riding. She attended the University of Connecticut 1956-1958 where she majored in English. That is also where she met Charles (Chuck) Hallett, whom she married in 1958. Soon after their marriage, Elaine and Chuck moved to New York City to complete their degrees at The New School For Social Research. Elaine received her B.A. from The New school in 1962.
Elaine flourished in New York City, frequenting the museums, concert halls and galleries to expand her interest and knowledge of art and literature.
Her interests and talents were not limited to academic pursuits, however. She enjoyed trying out recipes from various cuisines and became an avid birdwatcher, and later, an environmentalist. As her husband pursued a career in academia, Elaine assisted him with research and co-authored two books with him, The Revenge of Madness: A Study of Revenge Tragedy Motifs (1980) and Analyzing Shakespeare’s Action: Scenes versus Sequence (1991). Elaine was editor at Theatre Arts Books from 1979 -1988 and book reviewer and writer for the New Oxford Review 1988 – 2023.
In mid-life, Elaine converted to Catholicism, which became a dominant feature of her life. Through Eline’s membership at a Catholic church in Manhattan, she met a young woman from Equator, Cecelia (Cecy) Jacome, who was in the states to further her medical degree. Cecy and her husband, Herman, remained close friends with Elaine and Chuck the rest of Elaine’s life.
Elaine and Chuck spent many of their summers at the house they bought in Lyme, New Hampshire, where they enjoyed the complete change of pace from Manhattan. Although she sometimes missed the cultural amenities of New York City, the rural lifestyle allowed Elaine the space to develop her skill as a gardener and she surrounded their home with a magnificent garden of flowers and shrubs. One of the things she enjoyed in her time at Live Well was visits to their indoor garden, where she could name every plant and give instructions on its care.
In the early 1970’s Chuck and Elaine spent a sabbatical year in Britain where Elaine visited the various cathedrals, made brass rubbings of the various tombs in Westminster Cathedral. These rubbings adorned the walls of their home in Lyme (sometimes to the consternation of guests). Elaine leaves behind many albums filled with photos of architecture and gardens from their various trips to Britain, France, Spain, Italy and Ecuador.
Elaine was predeceased by her husband, Charles, in 2024. She is survived by her niece, Camille Davis, and her husband, Karl, of Bedford, New Hampshire; nephew Herb Stewardson and wife Shannon of Daytona, FL and sisters-in-law Bridie Tracy and husband Paul of Branford, CT, and Diana von Hallett and husband Carl Amento, Hamden, CT. and close friends Dr. Ceceilia Jacome and her husband, Herman Angel. Elaine was also predeceased by a brother, Guy, a nephew, Guy (Skip) and a niece, Carol. A funeral Mass will be held on Monday July 27th at 9:30 am at St. Dennis Catholic Church in Hanover Followed by burial in the Highland Cemetery in Lyme, NH. An on-line guestbook can be found at rand-wilson.com.
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