Eleanor Frances Hennessey

Our Eleanor Frances Hennessey, wife of Stephen Patrick Hennessey (Steve), left us on August 24, 2026, after a brief illness. While she was impatient to see Steve again, she did stick around long enough for her children to read her one last mystery over the weekend (Murder She Wrote: A Little Yuletide Murder) – we totally should have seen that twist coming, Mom.

Eleanor was born on August 17, 1935, in Athol, Massachusetts, and as a rock-ribbed New Englander, didn’t find that nearly as funny as her sassy children did. The youngest child of Charles Hull and Dorothy (Hanlon) Hull, she loved the outdoors, fishing and playing catch with her dad, and her love of the Boston Red Sox lasted a lifetime. In her early years she worked as an X-ray technician and volunteered with the church. It was in her church service that she met Steve, where their eyes met across a crowded CCD session – if your love can blossom in a room full of 14-year-olds, it can thrive anywhere, and so it did, lasting across 50 years, three children, nine grandchildren and a decade in New Zealand where she met many treasured friends.

In her later years, she and Steve moved to Apex to be close to her daughter and beloved son-in-law and her grandchildren, where she loved gardening, bird watching, and attending mass at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Apex (always followed by a little treat at Panera with her friends).

Eleanor is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Mary and Michael Petersen of Apex, NC; her sons and daughters in law, Stephen (Patrick) Hennessey and Lisa Chandler of Oakland, CA, and Andrew and Allison Hennessey of Bristol, CT, and her nine grandchildren, Caley and Riley Petersen, of Apex, NC; Conor, Finn, Aoife and Lachlan Hennessey of Oakland, CA; and Beckett, Rowan and Greta Hennessey of Bristol, CT.

Eleanor was the last of her generation, having been predeceased by her siblings Dorothy and Arthur and by her husband Steve and his many siblings. We know now that she is probably trying to get a word in edgewise, or maybe just smiling surrounded by laughter and conversation that she loved to be part of.

A Religious Ceremony will be held at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, 725 Magdala Pl, Apex, NC 27502, on September 11, 2026, at 11:00 AM with a light reception to follow. Father Randy will be presiding over the service.