Eleanor H. Benjamin

Eleanor H. Benjamin (aka Mom) died peacefully on December 26, 2014, surrounded by adult sons Richard, Kirk and Peter. Born in the working class town of Springfield Mass. she endured hard times after her father’s death during the Great Depression. Her mother moved to NYC to obtain work and Eleanor, her sister Rhea and brother Bill went to school there. Finances improved during the Second World War, her mother worked in industry, Bill was sent to the Pacific. Eleanor did volunteer work and graduated from Hunter College with BA in English. Friends included individuals who became household names in film and music. She worked on the school paper with a young, not yet husky voiced, Lauren Bacall and enjoyed boggie woogie and pizza with Elmer Bernstein - who would compose the Ghost Busters theme. Eleanor had a pioneering root canal. It cost $25. She developed keen fashion and social sensibilities that never left her. She took a corporate job with Sears and became a sports ware buyer. She met a young Navy Lieutenant j.g. named Harry (aka dad) and flew off to marry him in the Latin American country of El Salvador. They spent a night under the bed during a revolution, and stayed another year. Eleanor became fluent in Spanish. It still worked 40 years later on vacation in Spain. They returned to the USA and settled in Dayton. These were the middle class years. Mom had two boys, a third when they moved to Utica NY. A planned parenthood pioneer, children were spaced three years apart. An attentive parent, she sang songs, and made up stories. Like Joe Bird, who was stopped for driving without a license and hopped over to Sears to buy one. Eleanor loved dogs, especially schnauzers. Dad was an up and coming engineer and it was back to Dayton. Bigger house, more cars, Dad started a business. Mom took up ice skating and eventually learned to skate backwards. She was civic minded and a volunteer docent at the Dayton Art Institute. She joined Dad’s business. They had a great marriage. Eleanor had a bad auto accident late in life. Doctors said she would never walk again. She walked. She took care of Dad when he became debilitated with Parkinson’s. Her sons looked after her when she became frail and moved to One Lincoln Park. She never lost her demanding sense of style, always knew the fashion color of the season, always accessorized. She is survived by her sons and daughter in-law Yung Hee Cho.

Donations may be made to The Nature Conservancy to preserve the flowers and green spaces Eleanor loved so much.