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HomeObituariesEleanor Josephine (Strauss) Smith - December 29, 2013

Eleanor Josephine (Strauss) Smith – December 29, 2013

EleanorEleanor Josephine (Strauss) Smith

On Sunday, December 29, 2013, Eleanor Smith peacefully passed away at the age of 99, surrounded by her family.

Eleanor Josephine (Strauss) Smith was born August 17, 1914 in an ambulance en route to the hospital in Portland, Oregon. She was the second of four children born to Joseph and Leona Strauss.

She lived in Portland and California’s bay area until age 12 and graduated from high school in Tigard, Oregon. Her favorite summer vacations were spent at Seaside, Oregon where she sold flowers to local restaurants when she was 9 1/2 years old.

At the age of 14 she worked at Meyer and Franks Department Store, and as a young adult worked at a cannery and later managed a tire shop/service station.

During World War II she was the first journeyman electrician hired at Hunter’s Point Naval Dry docks in San Francisco. She worked on the USS Pennsylvania, USS Hornet, USS Iowa and other liberty ships. She was the 10,000th woman trainee helping in the war efforts.

After the war, she moved back to Portland and was a successful saleswoman for Guardian Service cookware for five years. She later moved to San Mateo and wrote insurance for 14 years. She and son Paul moved to Westwood in 1964. She also lived at Lake Forest for a few years before returning to her same home in Westwood. Eleanor started, owned and operated her business, Smith Sewing Center, for 15 or so years with stores in Susanville, Alturas and Westwood until retiring at the age of 65. After ‘retirement’ she managed the motel at the Milepost Inn train station in Wendel, California for a short time.

She moved to Susanville in her mid-80′ s where she lived independently for 12 years before becoming a resident at Country Villa Riverview in 2010.

Eleanor was an avid sports enthusiast and especially loved watching her son Paul and his children participate in all sporting activities, rarely missing a game, even if it meant traveling long distances .

She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and was the oldest active member for many years. She was also a member of the Red Hat Society and a faithful supporter of the Susanville Symphony.

She was proud to say that she was the matriarch of her family. Her legacy included her three children, Bob Klinger, Barbara (Tino) Rodriguez and Paul (Della) Smith, 14 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren and 11 great-great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made for a memorial scholarship in Eleanor’s name to the Susanville Academy of Music, c/o Susanville· Symphony Society, P.O. Box 2172, Susanville, CA 96130.

A Celebration of Life will be held in the spring on Saturday, May 17, 2014 in Westwood. Details will be announced at a later date.

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Marshel Couso
Marshel Cousohttp://www.susanvillestuff.com
SusanvilleStuff Owner/Publisher
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