Eleanor Elizabeth Hill Schwabe

Eleanor was born September 23, 1917 in Leitrim, Ontario, a farming community south of Ottawa. She was the second child of Muriel (nee Ireland) and Herbert Hill. Her sister Ruby (Hill) Clark was born four years before her. On the day her mother went into labor, Herb hitched up a horse-drawn carriage, and with Muriel sitting on his lap, drove eight miles to the house of the local midwife, where Eleanor was born.

In February of 1919, Eleanor tragically lost her father in the Spanish flu epidemic. Herb’s death was devastating to Muriel and her two children. Muriel’s family soon sold her and Herb’s farm and she and the children moved in with her parents, Elizabeth and Hopper Ireland, who owned a nearby farm. Eleanor spend many happy years on the farm and with a loving extended family.

In 1926, Muriel moved into Ottawa, where she bought a small house. Eleanor attended grammar school in Ottawa and soon began taking piano lessons. She loved the piano and showed a flair for playing and a dedication to practicing.

Muriel joined an evangelical church in Ottawa called the Metropolitan Tabernacle. The “Met” was very active, with youth groups, choirs, prayer meetings, summer picnics, and revival retreats. Eleanor took part of all of these things, particularly in the choir and other singing groups. Also, it was at the Met that Eleanor met her future husband Arthur Schwabe.

After graduating from high school, Eleanor enrolled at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, where she studied religion and music. Arthur, who was by now Eleanor’s boyfriend, also attended Moody. Eleanor and Arthur became engaged toward the end of their two-year study at Moody. After graduation, Arthur chose to continue his education at Hastings College, a Presbyterian college in Hastings, Nebraska. Soon after arriving in Hastings, Arthur convinced Eleanor that it was time for them to get married. They were married in 1941 and Eleanor joined Arthur in Nebraska. While going to school, Arthur conducted services at three different country churches in and near the town of, Oxford, Nebraska.

After Arthur graduated from Hastings, he and Eleanor and moved back to Chicago, where Arthur enrolled in divinity school at McCormick Theological Seminary. Arthur soon found a student pastorship at a Presbyterian Church in Covington, Indiana, about a three hour drive from Chicago. Eleanor moved to Covington while Arthur commuted between Chicago and Covington. On November 24, 1944, Eleanor gave birth to her first son Charles David Schwabe.

Upon graduations from McCormick, Arthur accepted a call to be an assistant pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Medford, Oregon. He left Medford after a short stay to take a new Presbyterian Church in Portland. He and Eleanor and David arrived in 1946.

Savage Memorial Presbyterian Church in Southeast Portland was a community church that had recently affiliated with the Presbyterian church. It had only 29 charter members, but it was located in an area that had a rapid population growth in the post war years. Eleanor and Arthur pitched in together to help build the church. Besides raising a child and managing the household, Eleanor took over the church choir and engaged in other church activities. On January 16, 1949, Eleanor gave birth to her second son Paul Arthur Schwabe.

Arthur was a great people person, and under his guidance and charisma, the congregation grew quickly. By 1950 they had already outgrown the original church and began building a larger one. The new church was finished in 1953. By 1962, the church had grown to 700 members.

During this time of rapid growth, Eleanor’s adult choir grew to over thirty members. To accommodate the large number of children in the congregation, Eleanor started a children’s choir in the 1950s. Later, in the 1970s Eleanor became interested in bell ringing and started a bell choir at the church.

Soon after arriving in Portland, Eleanor also began teaching piano. She taught for over 60 years. Several of her students went on to study music and piano at the college level. When she met these students in later life, they were always complimentary, thanking her for the wonderful background in music she had given them. One of her, piano students was Jeff Merkley, current US Senator from Oregon. Eleanor and her son David also had season tickets to the Oregon Symphony for over 40 years.

Eleanor was a very good cook and home maker. She and Arthur always had a garden. Each year she would can fruit, vegetables and make pickles. She was also a good seamstress, making many of her own clothes. She even took classes in furniture upholstery, Having been raised on a farm, she knew how to do many traditional crafts such as quilting and knitting. For many years she participated in a craft group at Savage Memorial.

Family vacations often involved camping trips, many times with friends from church. These trips enabled Arthur to engage in his favorite pastime, fishing. Every two years, the family traveled to Eastern Canada to visit Arthur and Eleanor’s families. This always involved a car trip across the country, stopping in various towns they had lived in before coming to Portland. The church generously gave Arthur and Eleanor a trip to India and Australia on the 25th anniversary of the family coming to Savage Memorial. This trip was the first of many trips Arthur and Eleanor took, often with members of the congregation. Over a 15 year period, Eleanor and Arthur visited, Australia, Samoa, India, Thailand, Hong Kong, the British Isles, Europe, Russia, Israel and Egypt.

Eleanor and Arthur saw both their sons graduate from David Douglas High School, in Portland, and graduate from college. Both David and Paul eventually established careers in the high-tech industry in Portland working for companies like Tektronix and Intel.

Paul and his wife Judy have two daughters, Chloe and Monique. Judy also had a son Damian. Eleanor and Arthur were very proud of their grandchildren, and spent a lot of time with them.

Arthur died in 1988 of cancer. Eleanor continued to live in southeast Portland and remained an active member of Savage Memorial. Her granddaughter Monique and her husband Mike Elliott have two children, Dylan and Nora. Eleanor had the joy being a grandmother and great grandmother and enjoyed spending her time with all her family.

Eleanor lived the last five years of her life at Terwilliger Plaza Retirement Community in Portland. Her death brought great sadness to her family and friends, but also appreciation for the rich and happy life she had had. Eleanor’s funeral was at Savage Memorial Presbyterian Church on Saturday, January 31, 2015. Many of Eleanor’s friends joined with her family to celebrate her life and express their love for her.

Eleanor will be remembered for her dedication to God, her family, and her church, as well as for her intelligence, love of music, and a wonderful sense of humor.

* * * * * * * * * *

Eleanor Elizabeth Schwabe, a former piano teacher, church choir directory, loving wife, and beloved mother and grandmother died on Saturday, January 24, 2015 from pneumonia. She was 97.

Eleanor was born September 23, 1917 in Leitrim, Ontario, a farming community south of Ottawa. She was the second child of Muriel (nee Ireland) and Herbert Hill. Her sister Ruby (Hill) Clark was born four years before her. On the day her mother went into labor, Herb hitched up a horse-drawn carriage, and with Muriel sitting on his lap, drove eight miles to the house of the local midwife, where Eleanor was born.

In February of 1919, Eleanor tragically lost her father in the Spanish flu epidemic. Herb’s death was devastating to Muriel and her two children. Muriel’s family soon sold her and Herb’s farm and she and the children moved in with her parents, Elizabeth and Hopper Ireland, who owned a nearby farm. Eleanor spend many happy years on the farm and with a loving extended family.

In 1926, Muriel moved into Ottawa, where she bought a small house. Eleanor attended grammar school in Ottawa and soon began taking piano lessons. She loved the piano and showed a flair for playing and a dedication to practicing.

Muriel joined an evangelical church in Ottawa called the Metropolitan Tabernacle. The “Met” was very active, with youth groups, choirs, prayer meetings, summer picnics, and revival retreats. Eleanor took part of all of these things, particularly in the choir and other singing groups. Also, it was at the Met that Eleanor met her future husband Arthur Schwabe.

After graduating from high school, Eleanor enrolled at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, where she studied religion and music. Arthur, who was by now Eleanor’s boyfriend, also attended Moody. Eleanor and Arthur became engaged toward the end of their two-year study at Moody. After graduation, Arthur chose to continue his education at Hastings College, a Presbyterian college in Hastings, Nebraska. Soon after arriving in Hastings, Arthur convinced Eleanor that it was time for them to get married. They were married in 1941 and Eleanor joined Arthur in Nebraska. While going to school, Arthur conducted services at three different country churches in and near the town of, Oxford, Nebraska.

After Arthur graduated from Hastings, he and Eleanor and moved back to Chicago, where Arthur enrolled in divinity school at McCormick Theological Seminary. Arthur soon found a student pastorship at a Presbyterian Church in Covington, Indiana, about a three hour drive from Chicago. Eleanor moved to Covington while Arthur commuted between Chicago and Covington. On November 24, 1944, Eleanor gave birth to her first son Charles David Schwabe.

Upon graduations from McCormick, Arthur accepted a call to be an assistant pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Medford, Oregon. He left Medford after a short stay to take a new Presbyterian Church in Portland. He and Eleanor and David arrived in 1946.

Savage Memorial Presbyterian Church in Southeast Portland was a community church that had recently affiliated with the Presbyterian church. It had only 29 charter members, but it was located in an area that had a rapid population growth in the post war years. Eleanor and Arthur pitched in together to help build the church. Besides raising a child and managing the household, Eleanor took over the church choir and engaged in other church activities. On January 16, 1949, Eleanor gave birth to her second son Paul Arthur Schwabe.

Arthur was a great people person, and under his guidance and charisma, the congregation grew quickly. By 1950 they had already outgrown the original church and began building a larger one. The new church was finished in 1953. By 1962, the church had grown to 700 members.

During this time of rapid growth, Eleanor’s adult choir grew to over thirty members. To accommodate the large number of children in the congregation, Eleanor started a children’s choir in the 1950s. Later, in the 1970s Eleanor became interested in bell ringing and started a bell choir at the church.

Soon after arriving in Portland, Eleanor also began teaching piano. She taught for over 60 years. Several of her students went on to study music and piano at the college level. When she met these students in later life, they were always complimentary, thanking her for the wonderful background in music she had given them. One of her, piano students was Jeff Merkley, current US Senator from Oregon. Eleanor and her son David also had season tickets to the Oregon Symphony for over 40 years.

Eleanor was a very good cook and home maker. She and Arthur always had a garden. Each year she would can fruit, vegetables and make pickles. She was also a good seamstress, making many of her own clothes. She even took classes in furniture upholstery, Having been raised on a farm, she knew how to do many traditional crafts such as quilting and knitting. For many years she participated in a craft group at Savage Memorial.

Family vacations often involved camping trips, many times with friends from church. These trips enabled Arthur to engage in his favorite pastime, fishing. Every two years, the family traveled to Eastern Canada to visit Arthur and Eleanor’s families. This always involved a car trip across the country, stopping in various towns they had lived in before coming to Portland. The church generously gave Arthur and Eleanor a trip to India and Australia on the 25th anniversary of the family coming to Savage Memorial. This trip was the first of many trips Arthur and Eleanor took, often with members of the congregation. Over a 15 year period, Eleanor and Arthur visited, Australia, Samoa, India, Thailand, Hong Kong, the British Isles, Europe, Russia, Israel and Egypt.

Eleanor and Arthur saw both their sons graduate from David Douglas High School, in Portland, and graduate from college. Both David and Paul eventually established careers in the high-tech industry in Portland working for companies like Tektronix and Intel.

Paul and his wife Judy have two daughters, Chloe and Monique. Judy also had a son Damian. Eleanor and Arthur were very proud of their grandchildren, and spent a lot of time with them.

Arthur died in 1988 of cancer. Eleanor continued to live in southeast Portland and remained an active member of Savage Memorial. Her granddaughter Monique and her husband Mike Elliott have two children, Dylan and Nora. Eleanor had the joy being a grandmother and great grandmother and enjoyed spending her time with all her family.

Eleanor lived the last five years of her life at Terwilliger Plaza Retirement Community in Portland. Her death brought great sadness to her family and friends, but also appreciation for the rich and happy life she had had. Eleanor’s funeral was at Savage Memorial Presbyterian Church on Saturday, January 31, 2015. Many of Eleanor’s friends joined with her family to celebrate her life and express their love for her.

Eleanor will be remembered for her dedication to God, her family, and her church, as well as for her intelligence, love of music, and a wonderful sense of humor.

Services for Eleanor will be held Saturday, Jan 31, at 11:00 AM at Savage Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1740 SE 139th Avenue, Portland, OR 97233.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Eleanor’s name to the Savage Memorial Music Fund.