Eleanore A. Salvaggio

Eleanore Ann (Ford) Salvaggio, passed away peacefully on January 8, 2022, in Paoli, PA. Affectionately known as "Ellie" by family, friends and acquaintances alike, she will be remembered with love for her warmth, thoughtfulness, talent and generosity.

Born and raised in the Bronx, NY, Ellie had an affinity for the arts, sketching and painting from an early age, and training in ballet and dance as well. She attended Washington Irving High School and earned a scholarship to Parsons School of Design, going on to become a successful and talented fashion designer and Vice President of Tina Leser International. She was an artful seamstress as well.

Ellie was the wife of John Salvaggio, whom she'd met at a party in Brooklyn, NY in 1949. While she attended Parsons, John went to CCNY, then joined the US Air Force and served in Japan. They kept in touch, writing countless letters to one another, and not long after he returned, he proposed, and they married in March 1957.

The couple settled down in Williston Park, Long Island, NY, where their first two children were born, daughter Brenda and son John, before moving their family to Wayne, PA in July 1963. Ellie's mother, Yolanda Ford, lived with them in NY and joined them in Wayne as well.

Ellie had two more children, daughter Diane and son Paul, each born at Bryn Mawr Hospital. As all the children grew up and attended school, Ellie resumed some design work, in tennis clothing, and also volunteered with the Paoli Hospital Auxiliary. She was a member of the Valley Forge Newcomers Club, the neighborhood Civic Association, and St. Isaac Jogues Parish in Wayne.

When the younger children were students at Valley Forge Elementary School, Ellie staged and coached fifth and sixth graders in full scale musicals, including "Oklahoma" and "Annie Get Your Gun." She was always a fan of musicals and movie classics, as well as the opera and ballet performances. She loved to sing, but always said she "couldn't carry a tune in a bucket."

Later, Ellie shared her artistic talents with customers at the Gateway Shopping Center Craft Center, where she worked until they closed their doors. She then worked for the Gateway Party Land store, where she also was able to creatively spread warmth and cheer.

Ellie is survived by her husband John, who now resides in Malvern; her four children, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren; and a brother, Louis, of Seattle, WA. She was the daughter of the late Yolanda Ford, her beloved mother who died in 1981, and the late Luigi Lotorto.

A funeral mass is scheduled for Saturday, January 15 at St. Isaac Jogues, 50 West Walker Road, Wayne, PA 19087. A viewing will be held Friday, January 14, from 6 pm to 8 pm at Alleva Funeral Home, 1724 East Lancaster Avenue, Paoli, PA. As an alternative to flowers, the family has requested memorial donations may also be made to the Paoli Hospital Foundation in memory of Eleanore Salvaggio.