On April 18, 2022, Eleanor (Mahoney) Stefanski, 96, passed away following a long illness. She was born on December 14,1925 to Frieda (Loescher) & Frank Mahoney, in Holyoke, MA. She was proud to claim her birth city as the "Paper City of the World.”
As many families were back then, Eleanor’s family was large, consisting of eight chil-
dren; Ruth, Evelyn, Roland, William, Francis, Harold, Eleanor & Marion, led by a strict father and a quiet, kind-hearted mother. The days of her youth were dominated by the Great Depression, which in her words, were “the best of times, the worst of times”.
Despite pressures to quit school, Eleanor was determined to graduate from Holyoke
High School, which she did, while working part time at the Worthington Pump. She
was very proud of this accomplishment. Around this time her brother, Harold, serving in
WW II, was killed. He was only a year older than her and flew missions delivering sup-
plies during the Battle of the Bulge. His death had a profound impact on her and she spoke often of his loss with deep sadness.
Growing up she loved speed skating, riding on the back of motorcycles, ice cream
treats, trolley car rides to Mountain Park, and hikes up Mt. Tom to enjoy a picnic lunch.
Later, Eleanor loved to travel and was able to indulge in this pleasure over the course of
her lifetime. She found opportunities to visit Spain, Northern Africa, the Virgin Islands
and Hawaii. A photo of her sitting atop a camel in Africa certainly raised our eyebrows
and will always bring a smile to our faces.
Eleanor was blessed with 4 children. During these child rearing years she took a po-
sition at Smith College that lasted 32 years. The young women of Smith, often far from
home, appreciated her for her frequent words of encouragement and acts of kindness.
Her faith and dedication to the Catholic church grew over time and ultimately
became a cornerstone of her beliefs and subsequent lifestyle. A dedicated member in
Bible Study groups, she also worked in the church run bookstore called Praises.
Most of all, Eleanor cared about her family and made sure that they always knew
they were loved and would always be cared for. She was predeceased by her husband
Victor and son, Robert Badger. She is survived by daughters, Joanne (& Denis) Laprade
of Holyoke, Carol (& Terry) Day of Easthampton, Cindy (& Chris) English of Holyoke,
and her daughter-in-law, Anna Badger of Ware. She loved her eight grandchildren;
Shila Anderson, Heather Morrison, Jesse Fortier, Collin Day, Jackson Day, Matthew
Badger, Anthony English & Julie Velarde. And she also treasured her great-grandchil-
dren; Jacob & Rebecca Anderson, Hannah, Olivia & Adelynn Fortier, Leila Badger,
Owen & Connor Day, Emma & Matthew Day and Romeo Velarde all who were a source
of wonder and pride during her later years.
We want to thank the Women’s Club of the Our Lady of the Valley Church in
Easthampton for their kind support of cards and thoughtful gifts to Mom during her
stay at Care One and to the members of College Church of Northampton for their up-
lifting visits. A special expression of our appreciation to the entire staff of Care One,
Northampton who gave Eleanor the best care imaginable during her time there. Despite
the daunting challenges of recent events, we were so appreciative of their courage and
efforts to comfort our mother and keep us as connected to her as humanly possible. Thank you!
In lieu of flowers, we ask those inclined, to make a donation to the
Alzheimer's Association in loving memory of our mother, Eleanor.
Services will be private as requested by the family.
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