Eleanor Irene Deering, 91, of Traverse City, and a lifelong resident of the area, passed away Fri, Feb 7, 2020 at Medilodge GTC in Traverse City.
Eleanor was born on Sat, Sep 8, 1928 to the late Joseph and Josephine (Kadrovach) Kaniewski in Maple City.
a 23-year employee of JC Penney, Eleanor opened the first catalog order center for them here in Traverse City. She retired in 1991.
She was a long time member of St. Francis Catholic Church and volunteered her time at the St. Vincent DePaul Society and The Father Fred Foundation. She enjoyed working on ceramics, knitting, crocheting, and needlework. She always enjoyed working in her garden, where she raised flowers and vegetables. Her greatest joy was her time spent with her family, especially her grandchildren.
Eleanor is survived by her children, Michael P (Rose Mary) Deering, Agnes K Ochs, Patrick J (Peggy) Deering, Gerald M (Deborah) Deering, and Mary Ann (Kenneth) Stein, all of Traverse City; nine grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren; a brother, Joseph (Vickie) Kaniewski of Wyoming, MI; a sister, Adrienne Rudolph of Traverse City, along with a number of nieces and nephews.
Eleanor was preceded in death by her sons in law, Steven Mann and Arnie Ochs; her brother, Richard; and her parents, Joseph Kaniewski and Josephine Kaniewski Babel; step father, Joseph Babel; and brother in law, Joseph Rudolph.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:30 pm Thu, Feb 13, 2020 at St. Francis Catholic Church, with the Rev. Father Donald Geyman celebrating the Mass. Visitation will take place at the church beginning at 11:30 am. Burial will be in Grand Traverse Memorial Gardens.
The family is being cared for by Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home and Cremation Services.
