Eleanore (Waltz) Gartner

Eleanore (Waltz) Gartner of Marshall Township died on Jan.6, 2023 at the age of 97. She follows her late husband, Joseph Gartner and grandson Greg and is survived by her children, Kathy, Linda (Braund) and Becky (Boros); son-in-law, Smitty(Boros); and sister, Maureen (Pfister); grandchildren Bob, Jenn, Mike, Jay, Nate and Tim; and great-grandchildren, Paul, Norah, Ella, Ryder, and Jackson.

 Eleanore was a child of the depression, which shaped her for the rest of her long life. She pinched a penny until it screamed (She often would argue that she wasn’t cheap – just frugal!), and was tough and resilient until the end. Despite the extreme pain she lived with every day from a body that outlived her wonderful spirit, she always counted her blessings and expressed her appreciation for anyone who assisted her in even the smallest way. In her mind, things could always be worse and she was grateful for everything.

 She was a prolific letter-writer – the old-fashioned pen-to-paper kind of letter – and would frequently write a thank you letter to people for the thank you letter they sent to her. She mailed notes to her great grandchildren because she absolutely delighted in everything that they did and said. They were her motivation in her later years – she wanted to keep going just to see what they would do next. And in return, her great grandchildren absolutely loved their “Gigi.”

 She was generous to a fault - she would sometimes give folks presents that others actually gave to her - not because she didn’t want them, but rather because she thought that the person she gave it to needed it more. She cooked huge cauldrons of soup so that she could share it with her grown children and neighbors. She baked mountains of cookies so that she could make up trays for everyone at Christmas time. She was a wonderful baker and won many contests during her life for her cakes and pies. She actually had a wedding cake business for a good many years, making delicious and beautiful wedding cakes for many lucky brides. 

 In her later years, it was difficult for her to stop cooking and baking for everyone else because it was just part of her DNA – even though her poor body could no longer stand long enough to cook and bake. It was then that her family, friends and neighbors were able to return the favor and take care of her. They frequently dropped by with meals, flowers and goodies to brighten her day a little.

 She was an avid reader and greatly mourned the loss of the daily paper from the cut-backs in this digital age. She refused to read the paper online and treated computers like they had a transmittable disease. She did, however, frequently ask those around her to look on the “ww” (Couldn’t get her to remember that there are three w’s!) for the answer to a question that was bothering her. She did thoroughly enjoy her Sunday paper, though, reading everything but the sports pages, cutting out articles that she thought applied to different members of her family, and clipping coupons for them, whether they wanted them or not. There were always many separate piles of clippings and coupons on the dining room table and you couldn’t get out of her house without first checking to make sure there wasn’t anything for you in there.

 She loved flowers and had a very green thumb. Flowers were actually her drug of choice – she couldn’t resist them, especially if she came across one on sale. Then she couldn’t just buy one – she had to buy for herself, her sister, and her daughters - Eleanore could never resist a good bargain. And knowing how much she loved flowers, they were something that folks brought to her to cheer her up.  There were a couple other things that you could bring Eleanore that would make her really happy – good bread and noodles!

 Eleanore was a member of Saints John and Paul Church.Although her religion was important to her, more important was living a good life and being a good person. She lived her religion instead of preaching it.

Eleanore lived a long life, but long is never enough and her family greatly mourns the loss of the heart of their family. She will be sorely missed. In memory of Eleanore and in acknowledgement of her love of flowers, please do NOT send flowers! Instead, you are encouraged to buy some flowers to brighten the day of an elderly or sick person in your life. 

Visitation on Sunday, Jan. 8 from 2-4:00 and 6-8:00 at the George A. Thoma Funeral Home, 10418 Perry Highway, Wexford, PA  15090

There will be a funeral mass at 10:00 at Saints John and Paul Church (2586 Wexford Bayne Road, Sewickley, PA 15143) on Monday, Jan. 9th. Arrangements by Alvarez-Hahn Funeral Services and Cremation, LLC., Ambridge.