Our beloved Eleanor Mailman was born Eleanor P. Smith in Dudley, Mass. on Feb. 18, 1925.

Eleanor must have had a happy childhood, because throughout her life she adored her parents, Sam and Sadie Smith. She also adored her older brother Gerald and the feeling was mutual. They were life-long best friends and as adults their respective families were very close.

Eleanor grew up in Dudley, Mass,and Webster, Mass, and her love of swimming was undoubtedly born at “Webster Lake,” or, as the locals call it, Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg. Eleanor swam laps her entire life until only a few months before she died at age 91, and had quite a following at the local pool!

Eleanor contracted polio when she was three years old, and we believe it shaped her life: she survived! As a survivor she was both stoic (a good New Englander) and optimistic. She often spoke of “how lucky I was to not end up in an iron lung.” As a child she dragged her bum leg around but continued to run and play with the other kids. She knew that Gramma and Grampa refused to baby her, and did not want to “make a cripple out of me.” We believe this made her strong, determined, and tenacious.

Eleanor graduated High School in Webster, Mass, and went on to Boston University where she earned a degree in Business Administration. However, she always said that she wished she had majored in languages. At B.U she met the love of her life, Marvin Mailman, who was then studying medicine. They married in 1946 and subsequently had two children, Jonathan and Deborah. Marvin enlisted into the Army in 1950, and in 1951 he was deployed to Korea as a desperately needed doctor. He earned a Bronze Star for his service under fire on the field of battle.

During that time, like many military families, Eleanor was left at home to care for two very young children, ages 3 ½ and 18 months. Her brother Gerald moved in at that time to help out, and she never forgot this.

As her children grew and became more independent in high school and middle school, Eleanor branched out. She was Marvin’s right-hand person in the office,and really helped him run his medical practice until they retired in 1986.

Eleanor enjoyed travelling with Marvin. They went to Europe, went on a few cruises, one to Alaska, and explored Oregon and Washington, as their daughter and grandson lived in the Northwest. They also both loved Opera and classical music and always dressed up nicely for their season's performances. Mom’s favorites were Norma, and Meditation de Thais, by Jules Massenet. Eleanor was an avid reader of both fiction and history, especially books about the Roosevelts and the Kennedys.

She was for a long time an avid knitter. She crafted many a sweater, afghan, and baby outfit for her ever-expanding family.

Eleanor had recurrences of cancer in her later years but always pulled through, always the survivor. Her last occurrence of cancer was not survivable, but she fought very hard, and did preserve a good quality of life for herself, with great dignity.

Among her greatest achievements is the extremely loyal cadre of friends whom she kept in touch with over the years. Her friends adored and admired her. She was a real lady and really practiced the notion of “if you don’t have something good to say, then don’t say anything at all.”

She was and is deeply loved by her family, extended and adoptive family, friends, and literally all who came in contact with her. People of all ages and backgrounds warmed to her quickly.

Eleanor died peacefully at home in Boynton Beach, FL on September 30, 2016, at 7:59 a.m.

She is survived by her two children, Deborah Samuels and Jonathan Mailman, her daughter-in-law Roberta Mailman, four grandchildren- Joshua, Jennifer, Valerie, and Danielle; and 10 great grandchildren.

She will be sorely, deeply missed.