Eleanore E. Breen

Eleanore Elizabeth Breen, age 101, of Fairfax, VA passed away peacefully on Monday, April 24, 2023 surrounded by her loving family. She was preceded in death by her husband of 75 years, George A. Breen; her daughter, Patricia; her brothers, Michael and John; and her sisters, Anne, Pauline, and Ethel. She is survived by her sons, Bob (Maryke), Richard, and Michael; her grandchildren, Tess, Aleta, and Adam (Christopher); and her sister, Ruth Malley.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, May 18, 2023 from 4 to 7pm at Demaine Funeral Home, Fairfax. Memorial service will be on Friday, May 19, 2023 at 11am at Fairfax Presbyterian Church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Lamb Center, 3160 Campbell Dr, Fairfax, VA 22031.

It’s virtually impossible to reduce a person’s life to a few paragraphs, but we will try to put Eleanore’s life into words for her friends and family. She was born Eleanore Kasony, the fifth of seven children, to her proud parents Michael and Anna Kasony in the Slovak neighborhood of Youngstown, Ohio.

Both her parents, hard-working and of strong faith, emigrated from the Slovak region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire while they were still in their teens. Her father was a founding member of the first Slovak Presbyterian Church of Youngstown, which he also helped to construct. He then served as Supreme Auditor of the Presbyterian Beneficial Union for 15 years. While a young girl her father would ask her every day what she had learned at school and then request that she read an article aloud from the newspaper. When she was just ten years old her father passed away after an accident while working a second shift at the steel mill.

An already austere life became more difficult when Eleanore and her siblings began portioning food, taking jobs while going to school, and doing without any frills. This strengthened the bond of the Kasonys and the family that was already close became even more supportive of each other. Life in the 1930s was so much more different than today’s; Eleanore and her sisters would walk the one mile to Woodrow Wilson High School and run home for lunch. After a quick meal they had a brisk walk back to school. In cold weather they would walk in a single file and take turns being the leader to help shield the others.

But life wasn’t always difficult; she and her siblings were active in sports. Eleanore enjoyed playing basketball and was good at running events. Growing up, everyone in her family was involved in the church, activities included singing in the choir, playing the church organ, and helping with the management and repairs of the building.

After attending business college she moved to Washington, D.C. and initially worked for a law firm. She soon met her future husband George, who had also moved to D.C. after serving in the army in Europe during the war. Within a couple of years they were both employed by the CIA. As many ‘offices’ were opening up overseas, they decided to answer the call for travel and adventure. Among her various experiences, Eleanore enjoyed sitting in the President’s chair in the Old Executive Office Building, meeting Her Majesty the Queen on the Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner, traveling by jeep through the jungles of the Philippines, practicing judo in Japan, lounging on the ship’s deck while cruising to New Zealand (the most beautiful country that she had visited), and enjoying many music festivals in Europe. Of all the countries where she lived and worked, she especially liked Japan and West Germany.

While working full-time she somehow managed to raise four children, three of whom were born overseas. Even after she retired at the age of 80, her energy level and zest for life continued. She exemplified how important it is to stay active and always feel young at heart.

Eleanore began attending Fairfax Presbyterian Church in 1964 and became a member on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 1965. She enjoyed teaching Sunday School and being a member of the Ruth Women’s Circle. Eleanore was selfless and consistently thinking of ways to help others and always had time for family. If a problem came her way, she would deal with it and get on with living life. Full of energetic spirit, ardently faithful, hard-working, and inspirational are just a few of the characterizations that will live on in the hearts of all those that knew Eleanore.