Eleanor was born in Chicopee,Massachusetts. She was one of 11 children born to imigrant parents/parents John Karnacewicz born in 1889 in pinsk,poland/Mary Tolkacewicz born in baranowicze, Poland. they came through Ellis Island,NEW YORKin 1911.MARY AND JOHN were married in SALEM,MASS in 1912 As a child she grew up in North Walpole,NEW HAMPSHIRE, where her parents ran a general store and a bakery.She was a tom boy and tall and all arms and legs.One of 11 children. Her brothers and sisters were William, Stella,Chester,Bernard,Veronica, Peter and Michael.3 siblings did not make it to adulthood. Eleanor was a stunning girl,she had reddish brown hair and green/hazel eyes. The boys just loved her and as she grew she used to go on dates roller skating, dancing and she started smoking at age 11.She did her best to hide this habit from her parents but got caught when she was sharing a bed with younger sister veronica and set the covers on fire.At age 18 or 19 she went to visit cousins Linda and Ted karnacewicz in Chicago.She loved the city and recalled that on arrival into Chicago on the train there was a shoot out between the cops and gansters she said the bullets were whizzing all around her and she kept popping her head up to see and a stranger kept pulling her down so she wouldnt be killed.Needless to say she loved Chicago and stayed.She worked with cousin Linda at the ZENITH plant. At night she would hit the dance clubs dressed in the high fashion of the day.She had many boyfriends and one was named lefty.Much to her sadness she was called back to North Walpole to take care of her dying father.She vowed someday she would return to Chicago but never did.She met a handsome young man named Leslie Chaffee and married him.In quick order she was the mother of 7 children, JOHN,MARY,LINDA,PETER,KATHALEEN,DAVID AND CHRISTINE. Though life was harsh she grabbed whatever joy she could and loved her children and was a proud mother.She continued to smoke and died in 1997 of colon cancer. In her latter years when she lived alone, she used to love to listen to talk radio and music modern rock and roll.And loved her soap opera's.She used to stay up all night and each day she wrote letters to her family and enclosed articles and interesting things she had cut out of newspapers.In her closets were the many beautiful dresses from her Chicago years, as a child i would look at these and ask which one was her favorite and she would choose a silk kelly green dress. I would hold it up and waltz around thinking I too was in Chicago.Though mom never got back I like to think that after she passed away she met up with her cousin Linda(my namesake)and are enjoying life with all their other friends in Chicago and she is young and in that silk kelly green dress and dancing away into eternity...ILOVE HER VERY MUCH AND FEEL HER WONDERFUL PRESENCE WITH ME.I have MS and have rough patches and I was going through a real hard time, each day I would find a little flashlight turned on in the middle of my bed.I live alone with 3 cats and a dog so I knew they had not gotten the flashlight and turned it on.For 5 days the flashlight with its light on continued to appear and finally on that 5th day I heard her voice in my ear say,"honey, look for the light at the end of the tunnel,everything will be ok.My love is always with you." It was MOM. When she was alive we enjoyed going to cemetaries together and exploring the graves.One evening as it was getting dark/some out of town children wandered into the cemetary we were exploring.Without talking mom and I started booing and making noise.The kids looked over and saw my mom's pale white face and thought for sure she was a ghost and screamed and ran out of cemetary.I'm sure they are still running. Mom and I fell on the ground laughing. I am a nurse and Mom could easily talk to me of death. She said she would be in touch if she could with me after she passed over and she has kept her promise.She came to me in a vivid dream after she died. In the dream mom walked up to me looking like she did at the time of her death/old and sick.We embraced and hugged each other tightly/and as we separted my mom's appearance had changed into a beautiful vibrant woman.And she was wearing her silk kelly green dress with green satin heels. She smiled and said this is how she really looks now in spirit. She said had she come like this at first i might not had reconized her. HER SOUL IS AS IT SHOULD BE BEAUTIFUL AND VIBRANT.When i awoke i knew it was indeed a true spiritual dream. MOM had indeed kept her promise and showed me there really is life after death.I LOVE AND MISS YOU MOM,but know you are only a thought away. I still read your wonderful letters that i saved over the many years,they fill boxes. I will close my eyes and pick one and each time it seems to answer my thoughts that day.You are a wonderful and special mother.I have always felt a very deep connection to you and I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH.I send you smiles, rainbows,bright flowers filled with sunshine.your middle child LINDA MARIE.THIS BIO IS FROM MY HEART AND MY PERSPECTIVE AND WHAT I REMEMBER AS MOM'S DAUGHTER AND MIDDLE CHILD. SO IT MIGHT NOT BE PERFECT BUT HEY AT LEAST I TAKE THE TIME TO HONOR MY MOTHER.BEING 3,000 MILES AWAY I CANNOT VISIT HER TRUE GRAVE BUT THIS SITE IS MY WAY OF STAYING IN TOUCH WITH MY BELOVED MOTHER,SHE TRULY WOULD BE TICKLED TO BE HONORED BY THE WONDERFUL FINDAGRAVE MEMBERS. MOM AND I ENJOYED GRAVEYARDS AND TALKED OFTEN OF BEING REMEMBERED IN THE AFTERLIFE. HALLOWEEN TOKENS WELCOME!!