Elinor A. Ingelido

She was born on February 11th, 1917 in New Haven, Connecticut, the daughter of John and Olympia Affinito. She grew up in New Haven and attended Hillhouse High School, graduating in 1933. Following this, she attended Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, graduating in 1937. She attended Yale University School of Nursing, graduating with a Master’s Degree in 1941. Afterwards, she taught nursing at Yale during World War II.

She married her husband of 73 years, Major General USAF, (Retired) Michael J. Ingelido, just one week before Pearl Harbor.

She was the epitome of an Air Force wife, supporting her husband’s career and moving constantly with assignments to Hawaii, Texas, Germany, Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, Alabama, Japan, the Philippines and Colorado, all the while raising their three sons. After 31 years of service alongside her husband, she settled in Colorado Springs.

She was an avid game player all her life, especially enjoying bridge and mah-jong. She also loved trivia games and no family gathering was complete without her having the group try to answer her quizzes. She was an outstanding cook who loved to try “new things” at every opportunity. Indicative of her cooking skill, she was a prize winner at the National Pillsbury Bake-Off competition for her lemon bars. An excellent singer, she participated in chorale groups at air bases wherever they were stationed. Always intellectually inquisitive, a trait she passed on to her children, there was nothing she enjoyed more than reading biographies, attending classes on any subject and learning the local languages when stationed overseas.

Following her retirement in the local area, she sang in the St. Paul’s Catholic Church choir and was active in the local chapter of the American Association of University Women. In addition, she volunteered as a Red Cross Nurse, and often said some of the most satisfying moments she had known came from her Red Cross volunteer work, either helping with school health/immunization programs, or teaching Mother and Baby Care to prospective parents.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and all six of her brothers and sisters. She is survived by her three sons Michael, Daniel and Christopher as well as five grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.

She loved and served her God, her family and her country.

A visitation will be held at Swan Law Funeral on Wednesday, April 6th from 5 to 7 PM. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on Thursday, April 7th at 10 AM, followed by internment at the US Air Force Academy Cemetery with a reception following at the Eisenhower Golf Course.