Limestone County lost two of its most devoted historians when Don and Ellie Frost passed away within several days of one another over the holidays.

Don, a retired chemical engineer known for his commitment to documenting local history and his family’s ancestry, died at home of esophageal cancer Dec. 19. Less than 15 minutes later, his wife of 60 years, Ellie stopped breathing.

Her daughter, Lorraine Duncan, and son, Steven Frost, rushed to her side, attempting CPR.

“By all accounts, she was gone, but they were able to resuscitate her in the ambulance,” Duncan said.

Unresponsive and on life support, Ellie’s children made the difficult decision to take her off the ventilator Dec. 27. She hung on a few more days, passing peacefully on the last day of 2017.

“The doctors don’t have a good explanation of what happened to Mom,” Duncan said. “They called it Broken Heart Syndrome.”

The couple left behind a legacy that spans six decades, dating back to when they first settled along the Tennessee River in the Poplar Point neighborhood. The duo had met in Los Angeles, where Ellie was born, and moved to Alabama in the late 1960s with the space program. Ellie retired from a career as a quality auditor at the former Chrysler Plant in Huntsville.

After retirement, Don and Ellie devoted themselves to the preservation of the area’s storied history through their tireless involvement with the Limestone County Historical Society. Known throughout the community for her grasp of Southern history, Ellie started the society’s popular commemorative Christmas ornament fundraiser, penning the history behind each chosen site.

She also served as the editor of the “Limestone Legacy,” the society’s quarterly publication, for more than 25 years.

Duncan said she can remember the hours her parents would spend at the Limestone County Archives or at the local libraries, digging through old newspaper clippings and yellow-paged books searching for the bits and pieces of history they needed to complete the many markers the society has placed at significant sites throughout the community.

“Don was like a walking encyclopedia of history in general,” Linda Nelson, president of the society, said. “They knew absolutely everything about the history of this area and the homes here.”

The couple’s ancestral pursuits acquainted them with distant family members throughout the country and inspired Don to publish a Frost family genealogy. During his research, he was surprised to discover that his roots were not planted in Russellville, Arkansas, where he was born, but rather in Walker County, Alabama.

The couple also found cemeteries to be treasure troves of historical information and could often be found traipsing through them, searching for family surnames.

“If Dad found an unmarked grave in a family plot, he would do the research and buy a marker for the grave,” Duncan said. “He didn’t want that person to be forgotten.”

The couple who held history so dear will rest side-by-side in Athens City Cemetery.

Duncan said their burial location was important to the couple.

“They looked for years for a plot in that old cemetery, and Dad had their headstone made about two years ago,” she said.

He clearly listed the names of all of their children on the back, lest anyone forget his and Ellie’s legacy. The couple is survived by their children, Lorraine Duncan, Steven D. Frost, Donald A. Frost; 10 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and their black Labrador, Bella. Another son, David Frost, preceded them in death.