ELEANOR STREELMAN

January 15, 1937 - October 20, 2017

MEMORIAL DONATIONS: ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL P.O. BOX 1000 DEPT. 142 MEMPHIS, TX 38101-9908 The corner of Old Woodstock and Village Place became a lot quieter this week. Eleanor Streelman, 80, of Oak Ridge, NJ, passed away the morning of October 20, 2017. Eleanor was born to parents Arthur Martin and Hildegarde (Boettcher) Martin on January 15, 1937, in Jersey City, NJ. Growing up in Union City surrounded by what would become lifelong friends, she enjoyed spending summers with her family and friends at Oak Ridge Lake Park where she would eventually meet her husband of 59 years, Frank J. Streelman. She graduated from Union Hill High School, soon after beginning her career at Associated Merchandising Corporation in New York City until starting a family in 1961. Eleanor and Frank built a house in Oak Ridge where they moved in 1963 and have lived ever since. She was a long time member of the Milton United Methodist Church. A loving wife, a fierce friend, a mother, an Oma, Eleanor was a kind and compassionate soul wrapped up in a tough German exterior. She was the type of person who at one moment would be threatening to “take care” of someone who had wronged her family and the next be baking dozens of cookies for her grandkids’ college dorm floors. Her secret to making a delicious pound cake was replacing the water in the recipe for rum, and she enjoyed sharing piña coladas with her daughters and sons-in-law on her back deck (never mai tais, though; she had one on a cruise once and it was horrible). Eleanor could be found where ever her grandchildren were, whether it was at a sporting event, band concert, or even a sea turtle hospital in North Carolina, as well as out to lunch with “the girls”, in a Hallmark store, or lost in Walmart. She loved to watch and feed the wildlife in her backyard, becoming popular amongst the birds, turkeys, feral cats, and, to her displeasure, the squirrels and bears. For years, Eleanor and her husband shared annual fishing trips to Canada, vacations in Lake George, and cruises with close friends. In her time, Eleanor enjoyed cooking and baking, playing the piano, ice skating in New York City, taking on new craft projects, giving her family gifts they didn’t always quite know what to do with, tending to her many plants, hosting weekend lunches and after-work tea time, and taking photos of everyone and everything. She was a soul you’d be lucky to meet once in your lifetime, forever changing the lives of all she touched. Eleanor leaves behind her beloved husband Frank J. Streelman of Oak Ridge, NJ; her loving children Lisa Swerzenski and her husband Thomas of Oak Ridge, NJ and Amy Breder and her husband Howard of Oak Ridge, NJ; her cherished grandchildren David, Kristen, and Daniel Swerzenski and Howie and Elizabeth Breder; her loving brother Arthur Martin and his wife Christine; her sisters-in-law Jean Altmann and her husband Paul, and Betty Ann Russinko and her husband Gary, her dear nieces and nephews Steven, Jennifer, Paula, Jody, Laurie and Gary; her grand-dog, Koda; as well as many other beloved family members, friends, and Godchildren. The family welcomes visitors for a celebration of Eleanor’s life at the Stickle-Soltesz Funeral Home. A visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. on Wednesday, October 25th, and a prayer service will be held on Thursday, October 26 at 11:00 a.m. followed by a repast at Portofino’s restaurant in Oak Ridge. Rest easy and swim free, Oma. Say hi to Daisy for me. Final disposition will be private. Memorial donations may be made in Eleanor’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, PO Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38101-9908. Log onto www.sticklesolteszfuneralhome.com tribute wall to personally post your condolences, memories, photos, and videos, as well as obtaining driving directions to the funeral home.