Obituary of Eleanore Diane Edmunds (Eidt)

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved mother, Eleanore Edmunds, on June 22, 2023 in London, Ontario at the age of 86. She was born on May 11, 1937 in Chatham, Ontario to the late Fred and Dorothy (Pugh) Eidt. She married George “Lightening” Edmunds on October 25, 1958 and he survives.

She was the loving mother of Mark (Karen), Scott (Annette), Kelly and Todd, the proud grandmother to Ashley (Chris), Sarah (Ryan), Tyler (Vanessa), Amy (Courtney) and Sierra, the welcoming step-grandmother to Alex, Sophie and Chris and the elated great grandmother to Thomas, Charlotte and William. Mom adored her extended family of Andrea (Baker) Norman and Petra Hertlein. She will be fondly remembered by her cousins, nieces, nephews and many friends. She was predeceased by her brother John Eidt and parents.

Eleanore was raised in Merlin and attended the Merlin High School where she was a star basketball player. We have the newspaper clippings to prove it. After school, she moved to Chatham to work for Union Gas Limited but yearning for the big city lights, subsequently moved to London in the late 50’s where she settled for the remainder of her life. She worked for several companies over the years including City Gas, IBM, Labatt, Western Fair and Fanshawe College. She never had a job she didn’t enjoy and retired somewhat reluctantly. 

Her family meant the world to her and she leaves behind so many cherished memories of those days on Huron Street. She rarely missed a soccer game, figure skating show, swim meet, dance recital, band concert or other big moments. No trip to the dog park, pet store or Merla Mae was ever denied. She only bought the best quality junk food and handed it out freely. Of course, many of these preceding comments applied only to the grandchildren. She also loved to get away with the family. Those many days spent camping at Ipperwash and cottaging at Kettle Point along with trips to Yellowstone, Disney World, Disney Cruise Lines, Niagara Falls and other destinations are all so fondly remembered. One of the most exciting days of her life would be winning the Dream of a Lifetime home (1998) in Melrose, Ontario with her good friend Sharon Scribner.

Her friends meant the world to her as well and while she will be sadly missed by Sandy Richards and Gerry Orchard, she will be able rejoin her old friends Sharon Scribner, Carol Smith, Dorothy Orchard, Lois Luke, Leona Collins, Sharon Parkins, Marilyn Harper, Gwen Long, Pat Lawrence and countless others for a good ole rye & coke again. Sadly, she also leaves behind a long list of professional athlete boyfriends - Mitch, Vladdy, Bo, Phil, Sergio and Scottie – who will all sorely miss their number one fan.

In her later years, she loved her time spent at Horizon Place Retirement Home. The staff and residences provided her with enormous support and became her good friends and confidantes. She will be dearly missed by her wonderful neighbours, Trudy and Sharon. Her many visitors will sadly miss the wine gums, red licorice and other assorted treats she was guaranteed to hand out during each and every visit.

The family would like to acknowledge the compassionate care and professionalism of the General Medicine and Palliative Care Units at University Hospital in London during Eleanore’s final days. Above and beyond care by Kyle on the 4 th floor and Karen on the 10 th floor. Donations to the London Health Sciences Foundation are welcome. 

A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. Please check back for future service details.