In Memory of Eleanor McSwain
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Eleanor McSwain was born in a small community in Nova Scotia, Canada and grew up with her two brothers and one sister. She graduated from vocational school, married her husband of 65 years, Curtis, and moved to the city of Halifax. Eleanor got a secretarial position at a furniture company where she worked until she became a mother. She had three daughters while in her twenties and was a terrific mom and homemaker. Renowned for her baking skills, she made cakes, cookies, donuts, squares, cinnamon rolls and bread. Her lemon meringue pies were a work of art. Eleanor’s house was always spotless with the floors polished every weekend and all of the laundry (even underwear) was ironed perfectly.
Once her girls were in school, Eleanor went back to work at Sears as a keypunch operator to help earn extra money for her family. Eleanor and Curtis lived in the same home for more than 60 years and they renovated it from top to bottom themselves including adding a story and building a garage. They travelled in the summers and once drove from Nova Scotia to California and back with their three girls and their poodle Twiggy. |
Eleanor loved to bowl and play bingo with her close friend Sally. They always shared their winnings with each other and seemed to win more than their fair share of the time. She enjoyed walking in the park by the ocean with Curtis and collecting sea glass. Eleanor was an avid Red Sox fan and several years ago went to a game in Boston where she cheered on the team from atop the green monster.
In November of 2020 Eleanor was diagnosed with bulbar ALS, a very aggressive form of the disease that attacked her muscles used for speaking, swallowing and breathing. At that time, it was clear that she had been suffering from the disease for a while. She remained at home with the help of her husband, family and nurses who visited daily. She fought the disease bravely, and maybe a little stubbornly, communicating with her family using her iPad. In May of 2021, Eleanor passed peacefully at Hospice Halifax surrounded by her husband and daughters.
In November of 2020 Eleanor was diagnosed with bulbar ALS, a very aggressive form of the disease that attacked her muscles used for speaking, swallowing and breathing. At that time, it was clear that she had been suffering from the disease for a while. She remained at home with the help of her husband, family and nurses who visited daily. She fought the disease bravely, and maybe a little stubbornly, communicating with her family using her iPad. In May of 2021, Eleanor passed peacefully at Hospice Halifax surrounded by her husband and daughters.
Donations made in memory of Eleanor McSwain will be used to fund ALS research.