Elinor B. Olney or G.E.M., as she referred to herself in written salutations, passed away on May 1, 2020. Her death was caused by the novel coronavirus. Grandmother (G), Elinor (E) and Mother (M) were her chosen roles and she was beloved by grandchildren, friends and extended family and her three children, Peter, Anne and Stephen. Hers was a long life and well lived.
Elinor was born in Cambridge, MA. almost one year prior to the great stock market crash of 1929 while her father, J.Russell Bowman, was at his graduate studies at Harvard before taking a position as an English teacher at Malden High School. Her mother, Anne Stewart Bowman, eventually served as head of the Universalist Women’s Federation and became the first national Secretary of the Unitarian Universalist Association (1963). Elinor grew up in the family home on Cedar Street in Malden with her two younger brothers, John and Philip. She attended Malden High School and was an honors student, matriculating to Radcliffe College and graduating in 1950. It was at a Radcliffe “Jolly Up” mixer that she met her future husband, Peter B. Olney. He was a student at Harvard, a member of the “greatest generation,” having joined the US Army after graduating from high school in 1943. Peter and Elinor wed in 1949 and started a family.
Their early years as a married couple were characterized by lots of motion – they moved 10 times following Peter’s work in banking, teaching and personnel management. Residences included Scituate, Massachusetts; New Hyde Park, Long Island; and a two-year stint in Cincinnati, Ohio (during the election of JFK to the Presidency) before finally settling in the Merrimack Valley in the Town of Andover, MA. Elinor was a homemaker raising three young children, but as the children reached high school age she started a second career as a librarian. Her great love of reading – several books a week- meant she was perfectly suited for this calling. First she worked at the Andover High School library across the street from the family house on Shawsheen Road and then she became an assistant librarian at Andover’s historic Memorial Hall Library in the town’s center. There she made many friends on the staff and among the clientele, who relied on her insights and judgment particularly on fiction. She also mastered the arcane Dewey decimal system!
Peter and Elinor traveled to Europe and Latin America, and often teamed up with their dear friends, Elinore and Bill Washburn, to tour the Caribbean and the Bahamas, daring to hit the road on motor scooters together. Tennis was a big part of Elinor and Peter’s life partnership and they participated in numerous tournaments at both the Andover Tennis Club and the North Andover Country club. They captured a few trophy cups together in mixed doubles--mostly runner-ups! York Beach and Moosehead Lake in Maine were favorite vacation spots.
After her husband's untimely death in 1996 Elinor set out to fulfill some bucket-list travel adventures by journeying to India, Russia and the People's Republic of China. She rode elephants in India and complained of too much tofu in China although she enjoyed the country immensely. She settled into life in the Royal Crest apartments where she had moved with Peter in 1991 from their lifelong home on Shawsheen Road in Andover.
A friend of one of Elinor's grandchildren described her as a "card shark matriarch"! Indeed, Elinor was renowned for her excellence at Bridge; often partners sought her out because of her expertise at bidding and subsequently finessing her bids. She also excelled at other card games like O Hell and Hearts and constantly dazzled her grandchildren with her prowess. It was an achievement and a coming-of-age moment to finally beat "Grandma." She was also passionate about movies and was not shy about proclaiming her preference for certain male stars. George Clooney was a favorite once but had recently been surpassed by heartthrob Ryan Gosling. Elinor was also a major opera fan and enjoyed seeing the New York Met live in HD on Saturday afternoon in various theaters on the North Shore.
One of her greatest talents was her Crossword puzzle skill. She would do the puzzle from Monday thru Sunday without the aid of a computer and Google searches--she disdained these, instead relying on her battery of dictionaries, almanacs and directories to help her solve difficult clues. Her skill was such that she designed a Crossword that was published in the Harvard Alumni Magazine. Often relatives would phone her up on Sunday to seek help with the NYT puzzle.
One of GEM’s other talents was knitting and over the years she capped, gloved and sweatered family and friends in beautiful knitted goods. In later years she knitted small caps for "preemies" in the neo-natal units of local hospitals.
Her extended family remembers her as a kind and giving Aunt Elinor. The 5 surviving children of her sister-in-law Amy Johnson hold a strong affection for her and remember fondly all her loving deeds in support of their lives and their endeavors. She is survived by her son Peter Olney (and wife, Christina Perez) Ann Olney and Stephen Olney (and former wife, Ruthy Alford Olney) and their children--Nelson Perez Olney, Joe and Mimi Olney, and Antony Jabour. Her younger brother, John S. Bowman of Northampton (and wife Francesca Bowman), survives her as do his children Michela and Alex. Elinor was predeceased by her youngest brother, Philip C. Bowman (and wife Kate Bowman) who is survived by his children Jeffrey and Steven.
She lived a life of independence and varied interests and passions. She will be missed by her friends and her family, who will certainly remember her every time a hand is dealt and bids are in and trump is........!?
In lieu of flowers Elinor requested that donations be made to Memorial Hall Library, Andover MA https://mhl.org/donations or A Better Chance program
https://www.abetterchance.org/support/donate.
A memorial will be held at a later date.
Arrangements have entrusted to the Burke-Magliozzi Funeral Home of Andover. A memorial will be held at a later date. For additional information, please visit, www.burkemagliozzi.com.