Elinor Winn

Arrangements under the direction of Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, Columbus, GA. Elinor Jane Brandt Winn, 77, a woman of dignity, intelligence and courage, died Monday evening at 10:30 surrounded by family and in the loving care of Columbus Hospice.

Known as “Punt” to her many friends and family, a nickname given to her by her late father Hugo Brandt, she was born in Columbus and grew up in and around Wynnton and Lakebottom, attended Wynnton Elementary School and Columbus High School, where she was a popular and excellent student. She loved and studied dance and worked summers as a swimming instructor at the Girl’s Club of Columbus. After graduating from high school she attended and graduated from the Women’s College of the University of North Carolina, now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. While at WC she was a member of the synchronized swim team.

For fifty-six years Elinor was the devoted wife of Billy Winn of this city, who after they married took her off to Alaska where she lived in a small trailer in the shadow of Mount Eyak while her husband ran a fish wheel on the Copper River for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The couple had many adventures in their wilderness home, including periodic visits by brown bears, wolves and moose.

The Winn’s two children, Tscharner Winn, wife of Mike Dickerson of Atlanta, and Victoria Bracewell, wife of Bob Bracewell of the same city, were born in the tiny fishing hamlet of Cordova on Prince William Sound.

The Winns returned to Georgia from Alaska in 1964 just prior to the terrible Alaska earthquake of that year. Shortly after arriving in Atlanta, Elinor went to work in office management for Emory Clinic’s OB-GYN Department, a job she held for more than 30 years. Later, when the Winn family returned to Columbus, Elinor worked for the Columbus Museum, a job she loved, particularly organizing and taking trips with members to New York and Chicago and other domestic destinations.

During the years Elinor and Billy lived in Columbus their family grew to include five grandchildren: Anna Bracewell Crowder; Mary Winn Dickerson; William Robert Bracewell; Rebecca Brandt Dickerson; and Sarah Hendon Dickerson.

Among Punt’s many interests, in addition to her children and grandchildren, were the daily crossword puzzle, at which she was a quick study, Braves baseball, keeping up with her grandchild Anna’s professional dance career, traveling, going to the Springer Opera House, and pleading with her husband not to by another boat like the Beyond Repair, which it certainly was..

Elinor Winn had a lovely and graceful manner, which was much admired by her many friends and especially by her husband, who loved her dearly.

The family will welcome guests for A Memorial Celebration of Punt’s Life Friday, August 19, 2016 at 1:00 pm in Edgewood Hall of Striffler-Hamby, 4071 Macon Rd. Columbus, GA followed by a reception in The Mill Room.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Columbus Museum or Columbus Hospice.