Obituary for Eleanor M. Lally (Schmidt)
Eleanor (Schmidt) Lally died peacefully in her home on Jan. 29th, also her 84th birthday. She was born in the Bronx NY in 1937 and was always immensely proud of that part of her heritage. Her parents are Ida Schad and Frederick Schmidt. She has 8 sisters-- Helen, Barbara, Cookie, Kathy, Vicky, Patty, Jackie and Jodie and 3 brothers Butchie, Eddie and John—many of which predeceased her. Eleanor had a challenging childhood in the Bronx, raised in poverty and like many of her siblings, worked her way through difficult times. She attended the High School of Performing Arts in NYC (think “Fame”) learning ballet but when she met the love of her life, John Lally, everything changed.
They married on Jan 22, 1955 and made their home in the Bronx, John working two jobs and Eleanor taking care of all the other family matters. Their love for one another resulted in among other things four children in the Bronx; John, Michael, Deborah, and Robert before moving to the country, Enfield CT where they had their fifth child, Harold. Eleanor was especially proud of her correspondence with the First Lady, Ladybird Johnson which resulted in John getting his sought-after transfer to the Harford Post Office, so he no longer had to commute from Enfield to NYC.
Eleanor embraced new family as her children married. The Proteau family became her family when John married Laura and Rob married Lisa. The Lang clan become her clan when Mike married Carolyn. The Caron tribe became her tribe when Deb married Mark. The Mancini kinfolk became her kinfolk when Harold married Lisa.
Christmas season was always the joy of the year for Eleanor and her family. Baking sugar cookies with the grandkids was always a messy and fun experience but the highlight was Nanny’s Christmas Eve Gala. She took great joy in shopping for each and everyone including her grandkids – Tim, Brendan, Karyn, Barbara, Aimee, Christopher, Tina, Melissa, Theresa, Frank, William and Owen. She was blessed to be able to share this with great grandchildren Sharon, Skylar, Zackrey, Annish, Enrique, Katelynn, Austin, Peter, Brayden, Victoria, Harold, Cindy, Mason, Colton, Allison, Marc, Jaxson, Ayden, and Luna and even great-great grandchildren Camilla, Daniella, Paxton, and Matteo. Nanny made sure everyone was welcomed and would somehow have gifts for all including additional guests that were often welcomed in.
Ellie was a good friend to many and was always involved in the community throughout her life. From Den Mother to Softball Coach. From Holy Family Woman’s guild to Booster Club for Lancer Youth Football. She was especially proud to represent seniors on the Somers Housing Commissioner after moving to Somers CT late in her life. She loved to travel with her sweetie John and with friends and family throughout her life. Her annual trips to Disney were only second to her Christmas gathering but were a highlight each year. Disney was truly a happy place for her and brought out her youthful spirit regardless of her age.
Shortly before she died, Eleanor was happy that she had caught up watching all the episode of Blue Bloods, her favorite TV show. She loved how each episode included the family sitting around the dinner table together. This was her ideal of how families operated and was the norm as she raised her children where there was always a gathering around the dinner tables where many discussion and debates were had. She is a proud woman who always maintained her independence despite struggling with multiple health and mobility issues for the last decade of her life.
No obituary can truly capture the wonder of her life…it would take an epic novel. Eleanor—Mom—Sister--Nanny—Aunt (Nor Nor)—Ellie—or whatever name she went by—always encouraged others to remember that the past did not define your future and with hard work you could get wherever you wanted to go. Together with the love of her life John, she created a legacy that her family will strive to carry on without her and make her proud.
The family will be holding a private service for her this week with a memorial celebrating her life to be held at a future date to include everyone. If you so desire, memorial donations can be made to Today I Matter, a foundation established in honor of her late grandson Tim. Their mission was important to Eleanor—To reduce the stigma and shame of mental illness and addiction. Donations may be mailed to PO Box 164, Ellington CT, 06029. To leave online condolences please visit www.leetestevens.com
They married on Jan 22, 1955 and made their home in the Bronx, John working two jobs and Eleanor taking care of all the other family matters. Their love for one another resulted in among other things four children in the Bronx; John, Michael, Deborah, and Robert before moving to the country, Enfield CT where they had their fifth child, Harold. Eleanor was especially proud of her correspondence with the First Lady, Ladybird Johnson which resulted in John getting his sought-after transfer to the Harford Post Office, so he no longer had to commute from Enfield to NYC.
Eleanor embraced new family as her children married. The Proteau family became her family when John married Laura and Rob married Lisa. The Lang clan become her clan when Mike married Carolyn. The Caron tribe became her tribe when Deb married Mark. The Mancini kinfolk became her kinfolk when Harold married Lisa.
Christmas season was always the joy of the year for Eleanor and her family. Baking sugar cookies with the grandkids was always a messy and fun experience but the highlight was Nanny’s Christmas Eve Gala. She took great joy in shopping for each and everyone including her grandkids – Tim, Brendan, Karyn, Barbara, Aimee, Christopher, Tina, Melissa, Theresa, Frank, William and Owen. She was blessed to be able to share this with great grandchildren Sharon, Skylar, Zackrey, Annish, Enrique, Katelynn, Austin, Peter, Brayden, Victoria, Harold, Cindy, Mason, Colton, Allison, Marc, Jaxson, Ayden, and Luna and even great-great grandchildren Camilla, Daniella, Paxton, and Matteo. Nanny made sure everyone was welcomed and would somehow have gifts for all including additional guests that were often welcomed in.
Ellie was a good friend to many and was always involved in the community throughout her life. From Den Mother to Softball Coach. From Holy Family Woman’s guild to Booster Club for Lancer Youth Football. She was especially proud to represent seniors on the Somers Housing Commissioner after moving to Somers CT late in her life. She loved to travel with her sweetie John and with friends and family throughout her life. Her annual trips to Disney were only second to her Christmas gathering but were a highlight each year. Disney was truly a happy place for her and brought out her youthful spirit regardless of her age.
Shortly before she died, Eleanor was happy that she had caught up watching all the episode of Blue Bloods, her favorite TV show. She loved how each episode included the family sitting around the dinner table together. This was her ideal of how families operated and was the norm as she raised her children where there was always a gathering around the dinner tables where many discussion and debates were had. She is a proud woman who always maintained her independence despite struggling with multiple health and mobility issues for the last decade of her life.
No obituary can truly capture the wonder of her life…it would take an epic novel. Eleanor—Mom—Sister--Nanny—Aunt (Nor Nor)—Ellie—or whatever name she went by—always encouraged others to remember that the past did not define your future and with hard work you could get wherever you wanted to go. Together with the love of her life John, she created a legacy that her family will strive to carry on without her and make her proud.
The family will be holding a private service for her this week with a memorial celebrating her life to be held at a future date to include everyone. If you so desire, memorial donations can be made to Today I Matter, a foundation established in honor of her late grandson Tim. Their mission was important to Eleanor—To reduce the stigma and shame of mental illness and addiction. Donations may be mailed to PO Box 164, Ellington CT, 06029. To leave online condolences please visit www.leetestevens.com