Eleanor Le Blanc, Born on High Street in Newton Highlands, Mass., in 1933, Eleanor Pillion was the youngest child of Marie-Antoinette Clerc-Renaud, of France, and George (“Jerry”) Pillion, of Boston.Eleanor graduated from Sacred Heart in 1951 and soon after started studying painting at Mass College of Art and the Museum School. She married Ralph Le Blanc in 1958, setting up house first on Marlborough Street in Boston, then on Perry Street in Brookline, and in Newton Centre in the early 1960s. The family spent summers in Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard. Ralph was an architect and had an office in Coolidge Corner, and Eleanor pursued her artwork—especially photography, collages, silkscreening—casually as she kept house and raised three children. Eleanor and Ralph relocated to Hull (Nantasket Beach) in the late 1970s, where Eleanor built strong friendships and found a community of artists. It was then that she began creating art more actively again, and in the early 1980s she returned to Mass Art for her BFA in photography, studying with Nick Nixon. After finishing the degree, she turned more and more to printmaking and found herself most interested in making monotype prints. This work turned out to be the bulk of her career as an exhibiting artist, which spanned roughly the next two decades. During this time she also enjoyed volunteering (Meals on Wheels deliveries) and teaching adult ed classes (Asian cooking). She always loved good food and mastered many cuisines—French, Asian, Middle Eastern. She also learned several languages, including teaching herself Spanish and Portuguese. Ralph and Eleanor moved in the late 1990s from Hull to Weymouth, where they remained until their final move, to Roslindale, in the early 2000s. Ralph’s various medical problems had become very demanding, and taking care of him was Eleanor’s full-time job. He passed away in 2011, and soon after Eleanor came to her new home at Rogerson House, which could provide the best care for her developing Alzheimer’s. Eleanor passed away on Sunday, November 10. Many of Eleanor’s abiding loves remained strong until the very end, including music, the visual beauty of the natural world, and conversation with friends and family. She is survived by her son Einar, of Brooklyn, NY; her son Edmond and his wife Sibel Kocabasi, of Lake Worth, FL; her daughter Ondine and her partner Karen Warkentin, of Jamaica Plain, MA; and her grandchildren, Alexandra and Ethan Haines-Le Blanc.
A memorial service for Eleanor will be held at the Brady & Fallon Funeral Home 10 Tower St. (Opp. Forest Hills MBTA Station) Jamaica Plain (http://www.bradyfallon.com/) on Saturday, December 14, from 2 to 3 p.m.: an informal greeting and meeting time. 3 to 4 p.m.: a time for attendees to share their thoughts and memories with all present. 4 to 5 p.m.: more time for informal sharing.
In lieu of flowers, donations to honor her memory can be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association (http://www.alz.org/join_the_cause_donate.asp) or Rogerson Communities (http://www.rogersonhouse.org/how-you-can-help/) in her honor. http://eleanorleblanc.blogspot.com