Eleanor Snyder Schwecke

Dr. Eleanor N. Snyder Schwecke, pediatrician and former Chelan-Douglas County Health Officer, died in Seattle on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at the age of 92.

Upon becoming health director in 1962, Dr. Snyder advocated for fluoridation for the water system, and fought diligently for increased wages and benefits for health department employees, a position that frequently put her at odds with the county board. She retired in 1974 for health reasons, and remained in Wenatchee as a medical consultant for the Washington State Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. She moved to Seattle in 1999.

Born to Paul N. and Eleanor (Ketchum) Snyder on 15 December 1917 in Chicago, IL, Eleanor graduated in 1935 from Chicago's Hyde Park High School where she developed a talent for photography. Tired of Chicago's cold, snowy winters, and hot, humid summers, she moved to Seattle to attend University of Washington.

In 1939, twenty-one year old Eleanor was in the midst of planning an extended trip through Europe to "see something of the world," when Hitler's invasion of Poland prompted her to reconsider her plans. Instead of heading overseas, she purchased an Indian Motorcycle on which she traveled 19,000 miles around the US and Mexico, returning home with riveting stories of her adventures, and inspiring a series of cartoon drawings by her friend and illustrator, Marion Lipsis Tiger.

Eleanor enjoyed further experiences and jobs in Washington and California before being accepted at Stanford University School of Medicine. She received her Medical Degree in 1950, and completed a residency in pediatrics at Philadelphia Children's Hospital before entering into private practice in Mill Valley, CA. She moved to Wenatchee in 1959 after marrying the love of her life, hydroelectric engineer and orchardist, Henry A.C. Schwecke, following a twenty-two year courtship. Mr. Schwecke died in 1985.

Eleanor was well known for her homemade bread, baking frequently and sharing freely. Any spare time was spent at the Schwecke family homestead on the north shore of Lake Chelan where the family spent vacations and most weekends.

Though a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in 1970 slowed her down physically necessitating the use of crutches and a leg brace, Eleanor was determined to remain independent and continued to set and achieve intellectual and personal goals. She attended St. John's College Graduate Institute in Santa Fe, NM for several summers in the 1980s, had a keen interest in politics and current affairs, taught herself ancient Greek and Latin, traveled to New Zealand, and climbed the Great Wall of China, with her daughter, Margaret. Above all else, Eleanor's greatest passion was reading.

Eleanor is survived by her daughter, Margaret E. Schwecke of Seattle, six nieces and two nephews. She is predeceased by her husband, parents, and a brother, Clark Q. Snyder.