Eleanor J. Norrix

Eleanor Jean Norrix "One could do worse than be a swinger of branches." Eleanor Norrix, our mother, wife, grandmother, aunt, great aunt, cousin, and daughter of the late John and Rose (Pelletieri) Crapple, passed gently. Eleanor was a force of nature, sometimes silly, sometimes difficult, but always living passionately, saying "I have strong feelings!" Eleanor grew up in an Italian-American neighborhood in Chicago, the daughter of an artist and a tea shop hostess - the youngest of three sisters. The family summered in Saugatuck on Lake Michigan, where the sisters would help in the shop and then in late afternoons, would eat black olives and spit the pits into the alley below their room. A fondness for water drew Eleanor to annual family vacations in Plymouth, Massachusetts walking the beaches, collecting shells, talking about life's mysteries, and tracking sand pipers. Once, during a hurricane, Eleanor walked the beach with her daughter - howling and laughing in the wind until the beach patrol returned them to the quieter safety of a shelter. She especially loved going on cruises with her son and daughter-in-law and dancing with her husband. Eleanor was proud to have been an English teacher and nourished others' and her own love of literature and poetry - especially Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. She passed on this love of literature, art, and poetry, and during her final days, her son read her some of her favorites, drawing a smile. Eleanor volunteered in many places, but was never more in her element than when she was involved in a project at her church, whether it was re-decorating the narthex or chairing the annual Christmas festival - something she did well into her 80's. She loved her shelties and instilled in each of her children a love of animals and an appreciation for nature. She was an avid gardener and an excellent cook. Most of all, though, Eleanor was devoted to and loved her family - near and far. She was proud of all their accomplishments and cherished her time with them. She loved hearing about and receiving pictures of the "greats." She adored her grandchildren. And, she is survived by us - her husband, James; her daughter, Pam (Jeff) Armstrong; her son and daughter-in-law, James J. and Barbara (Bengson); her grandsons, Ryan and Brendan Armstrong; also her grandson Matthew Bengson and her granddaughter Susannah (Bengson) Peplinski; her niece Nancy (Doug) Triestram and her nephew Robert (Joyce) Ray; her great grandchildren Devyn, Austin, and Jordan Peplinski; and many great and great-great nieces and nephews and cousins. Eleanor delighted in her life. Of course, "nothing gold can stay." The family wishes to thank the doctors and nurses at Vermont Southern Medical Center and at St. Peter's Hospice Inn for their compassion, caring, and kindness. Relatives and friends are invited to call on Monday, May 20th from 4 to 6 pm at the Applebee Funeral Home, 403 Kenwood Ave., Delmar. A funeral service will be held 10 am Tuesday, May 21st at the Delmar Presbyterian Church, 585 Delaware Ave., Delmar with a reception immediately following in the church's fellowship hall. Interment services will be held 2 pm Tuesday at the Saratoga National Cemetery, Schuylerville. Those who wish may send a remembrance in her name to the Delmar Presbyterian Church or to the charity of ones choice.