Obituary - Elinora M. O'Leary

Elinora M. O'Leary, 87, passed away on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, at Northern Montana Care Center of natural causes.  Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014, at Holland & Bonine Funeral Chapel, with burial to follow in Highland Cemetery. 

The family has requested that memorial donations be made in Elinora's name to the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, the Havre Senior Center or to the charity of your choice. 

Holland & Bonine Funeral Home has been entrusted with services and arrangements. Please visit Elinora's online memorial page and leave a message of condolence for her family at http://www.hollandbonine.com.

Elinora was born on June 5, 1927, just south of Chinook to Milton and Anna (Dowen) Cox.  She was raised north of Chinook on the family farm, attending country school until high school. She graduated from Chinook High School in 1945 and worked at a bank in Chinook for a short time. In 1947, she married John O'Leary in Chinook, and three sons were born to that union. The couple made their home in Havre, where John worked for the Great Northern Railroad, and Eilnora worked hard raising their boys and caring for their home.

After John retired, the couple began traveling around the country with their youngest son, Jay.  John passed away in 2002, and Elinora continued caring for Jay until he, too, passed away in 2011. After that, she spent her time caring for her house, entertaining friends and working crossword puzzles.

  Elinora was a sweet, fun-loving woman who was proud of being a stay-at-home wife and mother and took great pride in raising her sons. She enjoyed teasing her family and friends, playing cards, geneology research and working crossword puzzles. She loved working in her flowers, especially begonias, collecting her music boxes, roses, dolls, and teapots, and going along hunting and fishing with her husband and boys. Elinora always had a candy jar stocked with Hershey's kisses for her loving family.

She was preceded in death by her husband, John O'Leary; her son, Jay O'Leary; her great-grandson, Kellen Lund; and her parents, Milton and Anna Cox.

Elinora is survived by her sons, Richard (Vickie) and Bob (Sandy) O'Leary, all of Havre; her five grandchildren, Terry O'Leary, Tim (Halley) O'Leary, Tiffany (Marshel) O'Leary, Todd (Lisa) O'Leary and Trudy (Doug) Jones; her six great-grandchildren, Bobby, Tamera and Ryker O'Leary, Ridger and Riggin Jones and Ava Warren; and her sister. Betty (Doyle) Frey of Jefferson, Oregon.