Eleanor Baum Obituary

Eleanor Betty Baum

Born: October 18, 1915

Died: June 27, 2017

Eleanor Betty Baum, some women are born before their time and live to see their time come to fruition. Eleanor Betty Baum, who died at the age of one hundred and one on June 27, 2017, was one of those women.

Born on October 18, 1915 in Cicero, Illinois to John and Mary (Laver) Baka, Eleanor was a woman unfettered by convention and opinion. Self described as the adoring wife of the late Otto Edward (OE) Baum and the loving omniscient mother of Richard and Robert Baum, Eleanor's role extended far beyond that of wife and mother. Born before women obtained the right to vote, Eleanor continued to evolve and defy the stereotypes of gender and age up until her death.

Eleanor was raised in Cicero, Illinois. She attended Cicero schools where, already ahead of her time, she skipped second grade. She dreamed of a career in teaching. Eleanor attended Morton High School where she was seated alphabetically directly in front of Otto Edward Baum. Eleanor was smitten. Tall, handsome and a tease, OE was impressed by Eleanor's spirit, drive and intelligence. Their romance continued, despite her mother's disapproval, through their times at Morton Junior College and the University of Illinois. The only woman to major in mathematics, Eleanor graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She began her teaching career immediately after graduation in Clinton Iowa at the age of twenty-one.

Some of her students were eighteen and towered over the five foot Eleanor. She wasn't cowed.

On September 17, 1938, Eleanor and OE married. Prior to her marriage, Eleanor's mother persuaded her to spend her savings on a fur coat. Mary Baka felt that her daughter had made a poor choice in opting for OE over her many other suitors. She wanted the best for Eleanor and believed that OE would fail to provide for Eleanor. In that, she was mistaken.

Eleanor and OE lived in Clinton for seven years. Frugal and hardworking, they had little money to entertain or venture out. They joined another couple in learning to play bridge. The evening's entertainment would consist of four Cokes and a deck of cards, aided, as needed, with consultation from Charles Goren's book, available in the next room. Their enjoyment (some would say obsession) with duplicate bridge became a lifelong passion.

After their son, Richard, was born, Eleanor and OE returned to Illinois. They lived for several years on the second floor of her parent's 2-flat in Cicero before moving to Western Springs shortly after their second son, Robert, was born. Once the children left for college, OE built Eleanor her dream home in Oak Brook.

Never a cookie baking Mom, Eleanor returned to teaching once both children were in school. OE frowned upon her returning to work and refused to allow Eleanor to use her income for anything but extras like vacations, a piano, and music lessons for the boys. She taught junior high, leading the math department until her retirement at age sixty-four. She loved her work and the students. An excellent teacher who prided herself in not smiling for the first weeks of class, Eleanor was beloved by her countless students. She was a fixture at basketball games, many chose a seat in order to be able to watch both the games and Eleanor's antics. Her small and sporty cars commanded their own presence in the parking lot. Once, her students lifted her very early model VW Bug and turned it completely around in the parking lot. She was unfazed. She was touched however, to receive a letter from a former student on the occasion of her hundredth birthday. A Harvard educated lawyer wrote to inform her that she and her 7th and 8th grade math class were a significant influence in his life.

Eleanor "retired" to Vero Beach, Florida where she and OE helped establish the Vero Beach Bridge Club. An avid and competitive player, Eleanor became a Life Master in 1988. She taught and directed bridge games both at the Vero Beach club and on numerous cruises. The cruises were but one of the means that she and OE used to indulge their passion for travel. She and OE traveled the world with their friends and family.

After her husband's death in 1996, Eleanor again defied convention. Although she grieved deeply, Eleanor refused to let age or loneliness define her life. And Eleanor lived. She moved to Indian River Estates where she remained happily for seventeen years. She continued to travel -- to Australia, Russia, Hawaii, and Europe. She took yearly cruises with her extended family; as each cruise neared its end, Eleanor even in her mid to late nineties, would begin to plan the next year's trip. She continued to play and to direct bridge. She sported around town in her Lexus. She enjoyed plays and concerts. She embraced technology. She, a woman born in the early twentieth century, was utterly undaunted by the changes wrought by an increasingly technological word.

As she passed her one hundredth birthday, Eleanor never lamented the things she was no longer able to do -- she merely enjoyed living. Her weekly bingo games. The frequent visits from her family. Chocolate ice-cream in the dining room. Her clothes and her jewelry. She died planning her one hundred and second birthday party. A woman who embraced life not feared it. A woman who made each era of her life vital and significant.

Eleanor leaves her son, Richard and his wife, Jeanne; her son, Robert and his wife, Alison; her grandchildren, Garland Knott and her husband, Greg, Dabney Baum, William Baum, and Rebecka Baum. She leaves her great-grandchildren, Violet and Hazel Knott. Her great grandson is expected in November 2017. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews, including her much loved niece, Mariellen Furia. In addition Eleanor leaves behind her care givers, Paula McCreary, Glenda Bortel, Elaine Anderson and Lea Ann Thornton. They could not have treated their own mothers with more kindness, devotion, and love.

A memorial service was held July 22, 2017 in the multi-function room at Indian River Estates, East.

A guest book is available at www.strunkfuneralhome.com.