Death Announced of Eleanor Frey Counselman, Mother of Catherine Catucci of Old Lyme, CT and Charlie Counselman of Morrisville, NC

Eleanor Frey Counselman of Lexington, MA and Old Lyme, CT formerly of Belmont, MA died September 4, 2025.

Born in Oakland, CA  on January 6, 1946 Eleanor was the daughter of Boyd Gallatin Frey and Eleanor Marie (Horning) Frey. Raised in Baltimore, MD,  Eleanor attended the Bryn Mawr School. She received a BA in Psychology from Wellesley College and an Ed.D. from Boston University. 

Eleanor was a practicing Psychologist until her retirement in 2023. She was an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School where she worked with Third Year Residents to help find Work/Life balance through therapy. She was named a Distinguished Fellow by the American Group Psychotherapy Association.

Eleanor spent her life helping people through her work and her countless volunteer positions, both personal and professional. Eleanor was President of the Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy, President of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, President of the Boston Institute for Psychotherapy, a Town Meeting Member for the Town of Belmont, served on the Board of Belmont Day School, taught Sunday School, served on the Church Vestry, and still somehow found time to cook dinner every night and bake hundreds of cookies for Christmas. After her retirement and relocation to Lexington she dove head first into volunteerism at Brookhaven, joined the Social Committee and was nominated as Secretary of the Board. 

Eleanor is survived by her husband of 59 years, Charles C Counselman III. They met in 1959 at Mrs Farber’s Dancing School in Baltimore and reconnected as undergraduates at Wellesley and MIT. Their fathers were classmates at Johns Hopkins University. 

She is also survived by her daughter Catherine Catucci and husband Ryan of Old Lyme, CT, her son Charlie Counselman and wife Linh Pham of Morrisville, NC, her beloved Grandchildren Jameson and Olivia Catucci of Old Lyme, CT, and her sister Mikal Frey of Sarasota, FL.

Eleanor also leaves behind her Sister in Law Susan Healy and husband Tom of Richmond, VA, Brother in Law Skip Counselman and wife Margie of Cockeysville, MD, and Sister in Law Cathy Kelly and husband Charlie of Sewickley, PA , cousin Leslie Vestrich and husband Mark of San Francisco, CA as well as many nieces and nephews she adored. 

Eleanor was a connector and loved to bring people together. She stayed in touch with lifelong friends including her Wellesley College Suitemates, The Caz Group who held a bi-monthly Zoom. She hosted a Christmas Tea every December and invited women from all aspects of her life; she had a way of making everyone feel welcome. Eleanor loved to hike, travel, cook, quilt, and read. She was an avid runner until her 60s. Of all the roles in her life Eleanor was most suited for being Grammie. She made the best pancakes, shared childhood stories and never minded when she woke up with a child or two in her bed. 

In memory of Eleanor please consider a donation to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation to a fund named in her honor: https://give.themmrf.org/fundraiser/6655490

A Memorial Luncheon will be hosted by her family on Sunday, October 12, 11am at The Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center at Wellesley College.