Eleanor Wishinski

Eleanor Wishinski passed away peacefully at her home in Plainville on Monday, July 10, 2017, at the age of 96. Eleanor was born on January 2, 1921 in Waterbury, CT to William and Pauline Kirschbaum. Besides her parents, Eleanor was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Anthony (Tony) Wishinski; her brothers, Irving, Rodney, and Albert, and her sister, Marj Gannon. She is survived by her children, Paul (Diane), Kaaren (Robert) and Susan; her grandchildren, Peter, Bruce, Robin (Jason) and Melissa (Paul); her great-grandchildren, Olive Sabine, and twins Root and Briggs. Other surviving family includes four nieces, one nephew, and their extended families.

After graduating Wilby High School in 1938, Eleanor trained at Waterbury Hospital to become an RN. Once married, she became a wife, mother, and homemaker living in Meriden, NH, Windsor, VT and eventually Plainville, CT while Tony supported the family, teaching and coaching at Kimball Union Academy and at Windsor and Plainville High Schools. During those years Eleanor was very active in the Episcopal Church in Windsor and Plainville, encouraging her family to be active as well. She taught Sunday school, coordinated Christmas pageants and YPF activities, hosted progressive dinners, participated in craft fairs, and took classes in Old English and Bible study. She was a devoted member of The Daughters of the King for many years.

After being a homemaker for over 20 years, Eleanor went to work at Superior Electric Company in Bristol to supplement the family income. At first she worked as an inspector on the assembly line, but when the company modernized, Eleanor was promoted and very quickly learned to design and write computer programming for the shop machinery. She thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of this work and the people she worked with. She continued on at Superior for many years, retiring in 1983. As a retired couple, she and Tony enjoyed road trips in the Eastern US and Canada as well as trips to California, Hawaii and Nepal to visit friends and relatives and for sightseeing adventures. Eleanor and Tony also loved barbeques and holiday get-togethers with family, as well as “becoming Mrs. Claus and Santa” at Christmas for Plainville and the surrounding communities for many years.

Eleanor was a warm and loving person who always looked for the good in others. As a mother, she encouraged a love of learning by reading and sharing books, nature, art, and music with us. She encouraged imaginary play and using one’s own ingenuity to create fun and to problem-solve. She welcomed our friends to the house, often with a plateful of freshly baked cookies. She helped us with our homework and showed an interest in all our school activities. Throughout her 96 years, Mom lovingly touched and valued the lives of family and friends, young and old. She will be greatly missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Eleanor on Saturday, July 29 at 10:00 AM at The Church of Our Saviour, 115 West Main Street, in Plainville. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations of remembrance be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, PO Box 97372, Washington, D.C. 20090-7372 or to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) PO Box 96930, Washington, D.C. 20077-7229; two of Eleanor’s favorite charities. The family would like to express our deep gratitude for the attentive medical care afforded to our mother over the years by her primary physician, Dr. Jonathon Pendleton, along with sincere appreciation for the caring services of the Hartford VNA, and the ongoing love and support extended to her by her parish family at COS.

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