Eleanor was born January 25, 1915 on a farm in York, Nebraska. She was the oldest of 3 children, the only girl. Her father worked the farm and her mother helped with the farm and kept house. Eleanor showed her assertiveness when dad wanted to teach her to milk the cows. She flatly refused. So mom offered to do the milking if Eleanor would cook dinner. Eleanor was a great cook. The farm had an outhouse. Water was pumped into the kitchen. She walked to school until she began high school, when her dad let her use the family car and take neighbors with her to school.
In 1934, after several seasons of crop failure, her father lost the farm. The sold everything, took the car and their clothing and headed to Inglewood, California. Eleanor got a job as a cook/mother's helper and went with the family to a small town outside of Placerville in northern California. While there, she enjoyed going to weekend dances and hanging out at the local bar/diner. Upon her return to Inglewood, she got a job at a diner, where she met Grace Klein, who introduced Eleanor to her brother, Lewis. She and Lewis dated, fell in love, and married. The were blessed with 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls. Eleanor was very active in PTA and served as President at least once. While serving in PTA, she visited several schools in the area and noticed a lack of service for children with special needs. She was the main force in forming the Southwest Community Health Clinic, designed to meet some of the needs she saw go unmet.
Eleanor and Lewis divorced in 1967. Thus Eleanor began a new phase of her life as an independent woman. She worked at various jobs, took classes in real estate and in travel services. AS a travel agent, she was able to travel to Alaska, Australia and New Zealand, and cruise from the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, and up the coast of Mexico.
She lived in Lennox all her married life. Later she lived in Hawthorne, Fullerton, Temecula and Tustin. In 1968 she joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was very active in service and social activities. During her time in Temecula she suffered a major financial loss, and was forced to give up her independent lifestyle. Her youngest son, Richard and his wife Carolyn graciously took her into their home, where she lived for 11 years. Then she had an opportunity to move into the brand new Heritage Place Apartments for Seniors. She has loved her time there, and made many friends. She lived independently through her 95th year, and until her illness required constant care. At the age of 93 she took a class in drawing and painting. Eleanor was an accomplished seamstress, and took a class in tailoring in the '60s. She lived from the onset of radio and telegraph into the computer age. She was a determined, involved and organized woman. She was a force to be reckoned with!
Eleanor is survived by her four children: Ronald (Ruthe), Lois (Larry), Richard (Carolyn), and Patti (George). She has 15 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild so far.
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