Elinor Campbell Feihel

A Mass of Christian Burial for Elinor (Penny) Campbell Feihel of Columbus, Ohio who passed away on July 15, 2026, will be celebrated on August 22, 2026 at 10 am at St. Peter Roman Catholic Church. The family will receive friends between the hours of 3-5 pm at a prayer service on August 21, 2026 at the St. Peter Gathering Room, 6899 Smoky Row Road, Columbus.

Elinor (Penny) was born on October 14, 1921 in New York City two blocks from Broadway. She spent her early years riding bikes in Central Park. When the Depression hit, her family moved to Long Island. Elinor graduated from high school at 17 and went to work at the Equitable Life Assurance society and was eventually a member of the president’s staff. It was there that she earned the nickname Penny because she was described on her first day of work as being as “bright as a new penny.” She met her husband, Ed, at the Equitable. When Elinor returned to work after having children she was a valuable asset to her many bosses.

After numerous work transfers, the couple retired in Florida where they were both active in various ministries at Saint Margaret Mary Catholic Church. Elinor’s strong faith was her strength and comfort and she truly lived the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Faith and family were the two most important things in her life. Her proudest achievement was her family. She loved and was loved by her three children, nine grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. She was deeply interested in and loved to share their lives and accomplishments. Ed was the love of her life. Widowed for 29 years, the only other man Elinor had eyes for was Tom Selleck.

Elinor had a keen mind and was a skilled listener. She had an inquisitive nature and was truly interested in other people’s lives and activities. In a conversation with Elinor, she asked question after question and then retained the answers. Her memory was exceptional. Elinor’s hobby was being a correspondent. Annually, she sent over 400 cards to friends and family. If you had a relationship with her, you got mail.

At 97, Elinor got a computer and quickly mastered email, surfing the web, and Amazon. At 100, Elinor moved to a retirement community where she chaired the food committee and proofed the resident newsletter. She chose not to eat in the dining room with “the old folks” and preferred dining in her apartment following happy hour and watching Masterpiece Theater.

Elinor loved people, liked to travel, read, go to the theater, entertain and was an excellent cook. She believed that food “was to be eaten” and while she enjoyed good food, she liked to brag that she weighed the same as the day she got married. She was known to say, “The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree” and “If it’s not one damn thing, it’s another.” She never owned a pair of blue jeans. She never smoked a cigarette. Grammatical errors were never tolerated.

Elinor was preceded in death by everyone. She was 104. Specifically, she was preceded by her husband Ed after 55 years of marriage, her parents Walter and Jane Campbell, her sister Virginia O’Shaughnessy and her son-in-law Kevin Tobin. She is survived by their daughters; Suzanne (Kevin) Tobin of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and Jeannette (Ric) Oxender of Columbus, Ohio; their son, Walter (Shirley) of Littleton, Colorado; nine grandchildren, Christopher {Angela}, Kelly, Ryan {Alison} and Michael {Davina} Tobin, Carey {Derek} Richardson, James Feihel, Jayna {Colin} Brosmer, Andrew {Erin] and Braden {Erin} Oxender; and eighteen great grandchildren – Quinn, Charlotte, Reese, Claire, Henry, Trevor , Theodore Tobin, Elinor, Emma and Harper Finch, Travis and Tobias Richardson, Maxwell and Joseph Brosmer, and Eli, Evelyn, Bennett and Jacob Oxender.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made in memory of Penny Feihel to St. Margaret Mary Church – Haiti Ministry - 526 N. Park Avenue, Winter Park, Florida, 32789.