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Eleanor Gertrude (Gonser) Metzendorf departed this life surrounded by her loving family on Nov. 10 at 9:19 p.m., in Mequon, Wisconsin. Eleanor was born on July 31, 1929, in Ridgewood, New York. She attended PS 93 elementary school and graduated from Grover Cleveland High School in 1947. After graduation she was employed by the New York Telephone Co. and married her dear friend Joseph F. Metzendorf in 1952. They moved with their son Joseph Jr. from Glendale, New York, to Avon in 1960, where their sons Mark and Neal were born. The family relocated to Monterrey, Mexico, in 1976 and in 1977 to Russell, Ohio. In 1981, Eleanor and family returned to Connecticut and settled in the Otter Cove District of Old Saybrook, and in 2011 moved to Wisconsin to be close to family.

Eleanor was a teacher at the Pine Grove Nursery School at the Congregational Church in Avon, and a secretary at the American Society for Metals in Materials Park, Ohio. She was later employed by the First Bank of New Haven, and then retired from Bank of America. She was president of The Women’s Club of Old Saybrook, held executive positions on the board of the Old Saybrook Garden Club, and was an active member of the Otter Cove District as hospitality chairperson. She was a faithful and active member of the St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Eleanor enjoyed a life playing bridge, tending her garden, and being grateful for her family and friends. She was predeceased by her husband Joseph, her daughter Christine Ann, her sister Elizabeth, her mother Louise (Zuern), and her father Conrad Gonser. Throughout her life, she was a faithful supporter of animal charities and societies. She leaves her son Joseph Jr. and his wife Jodine and granddaughter Desire; her son Mark and his wife Donna and grandchildren Mary Ellen, Ann Marie, Daniel, and Stephanie; and her son Neal and his wife Joannie and grandchildren Sarah, Mikaela, and Kevin.

Funeral Services will be held at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Old Saybrook, on Nov. 25 at 11 a.m. Calling hours will be held at Swan Funeral Home, Old Saybrook, on Nov. 24 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Nov. 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Interment will be at Alderbrook Cemetery, Guilford, immediately following the Funeral Services. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Valley Shore Animal Welfare League, 647 Horsehill Rd., Westbrook, CT 06498.