Eleanor Margaret Pinther

After having lived a long life that she described as completely satisfying, Eleanor Margaret Pinther passed away, at the age of 85, on August 12, 2026, at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, NC.

Born in Bronx, New York on December 9, 1940, Eleanor grew up in a home full of family and relatives. She attended the Academy of Mount Saint Ursula. When the occasional summer Polio outbreaks kept the kids at home, she dove into reading every book about horses she could find; then continued with every book about dogs. Her lifelong love of reading shaped her as a great conversationalist to share a cup of tea with, and she became a member of various book clubs in her later years in Wilmington.

Her years spent as a young lady working in New York City forged the strong, independent-minded person she became. On a whim she took a trip to Europe with a close friend, visiting the sights of Italy and France and building confidence in herself that she could handle any situation. Her inner strength came from her deep faith as well. As she was leaving work one afternoon in November 1965, she felt a calling to stop at church to pray before getting on the subway back to Queens. As she prayed, a blackout struck the Northeast and stranded 800,000 people on New York City’s subways during the height of rush hour. These God winks kept her listening to the Lord for council throughout her life.

She met her lifelong partner George Carl Pinther on a ski trip to Vermont. After they married on November 13, 1965, George joined the New York State Police, and they moved upstate to the green rolling hills of Orange County, NY where they spent their years together laughing with close friends, family and neighbors. In September 1974, their son George Carl Pinther II was born and raised thereafter at their home in Ridgebury. Vacation memories were created at the Jersey Shore and Montauk, where the Octobers were magical when the bluefish were running.

Young George and his father were very close, but George and his mom had a strong bond as well. When the snow fell hard and schools closed, it meant Eleanor and young George were going skiing. An early teen boy might not be sure if skiing with his mom was cool, but years of reflection left no doubt: Mom was cool. As her son got older, Eleanor started a new career as a Real Estate Broker and enjoyed helping people to find happiness in their new homes. She often remained friends with her clients for years afterwards. She also picked up tennis, which led to decades of friendship.

After her husband George’s passing in 2009, Eleanor rekindled her desire to explore the world through travel. She visited her son and his wife where they lived in Mexico, embracing their friends from Torreon and expats alike. While there, she visited Cristo de las Noas, the tallest statue of Christ in North America, experienced an unforgettable journey to Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins, and walked the vibrant streets of Merida. In 2013 she decided she was going to her mother’s homeland of County Clare, Ireland, and then later mentioned the trip to her son and his wife who joined as well. They embraced the connection to her mother Hanora’s former home and farm and enjoyed the amazing kindness of a branch of her family who she’d never met before. Over the later years, she traveled back to Ireland twice and to several other places in Europe.

Eleanor spent her last 10 years full-time in Wilmington, NC, where she enjoyed lunches and dinners with new friends, shows and concerts at Thalian Hall, visits to Airlie Gardens, and Irish music at The Harp on Sunday afternoons.

After her grandson was born in 2017, Christmases were spent at her son’s home in Raleigh and at Bald Head Island, and Easters meant decorating eggs at her home in Wilmington. She kept a record player and countless old records, some dating back to the early 1900’s, that her grandson loved to spin up to sing and dance to with Grandma. She had a song for every occasion and situation with lyrics from half a century ago that she could recant instantly.

She lived her life in her own way. She wouldn’t be rushed, exerted her independence and free mind, and always with a deep caring for her family and friends. In her last days she said that she had everything that she wanted in life and put her life in the hands of the Lord.

Eleanor was preceded in death by her husband George Carl Pinther (2009), her brother Frank Freund (2010), her mother Hanora Freund (1997) and her father Charles M. Freund (1974). She is survived by her son George Carl Pinther II and his wife Anita Blomme Pinther, her grandson George Francis Pinther, her brother Charles M. Freund II and his wife Victoria, her sister-in-law and godmother of her son Joan Woliver, and her beloved nieces and nephews.

Visitation hours for family, friends and neighbors will be Wednesday, August 19 at Andrews Mortuary Valley Chapel, 4108 College Road, Wilmington from 5 to 7pm. A Funeral Mass will be held at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 6650 Carolina Beach Road, Wilmington, on Thursday, August 20 at 9am. Tea and pastries will follow at a nearby location.

On Friday, August 21, a burial ceremony will be held at Historic Oakwood Cemetery, 701 Oakwood Ave, Raleigh at 2pm. Family and close friends are welcome.

A celebration of life will follow at a later date in New York.

Donations in memory of Eleanor may be made to a charity of your choice or to St. Jude, which she personally supported for much of her life.