Obituary of Eleanor Seafoot

SEAFOOT: Eleanor Blanche Seafoot (nee Patterson) of Brandon, passed away at Rideau Park Personal Care Home on Saturday, February 8, 2020, at the age of 95 years. Eleanor is survived by sons Sheldon (Judy) of Brandon and Carl of Strathmore, AB; grandchildren Dan (Melissa Schmeichel) of Winnipeg, Dale (Erin Garden) of Nesbitt, MB, Sean of Strathmore, AB, and Shannon (Matt Williams-Kovacs) of Grande Prairie, AB; and great-grandchildren Mardigan Garden, Vincent Garden-Seafoot and Kate Schmeichel-Seafoot. Also surviving are sister-in-laws Doreen Patterson of Boissevain, Yvonne Patterson of Brandon, and Wilma Seafoot of Brandon. Eleanor was born on Nov. 2, 1924 to Alvin and Bessie Patterson of Boissevain MB. Eleanor was pre-deceased by her husband Ken (2011) and her siblings; sister Eva Gooden, brothers Earl Patterson, Murray Patterson and Walter Patterson (died at infancy). Eleanor attended Normal School in Winnipeg during 1945-46 when she met her husband Ken who had just been released by the Navy. Eleanor started teaching at Wassewa on permit, then Cartwright and Pilot Mound. Eleanor and Ken were married on Oct. 22, 1949 and farmed in the Carroll/Nesbitt area near Ken's father and brothers. Eleanor continued teaching at nearby Riverbank and Bertha Schools, and took a break from teaching to raise her two boys. After a couple of years in Brandon, Eleanor and Ken moved to Virden in 1962 to start a car dealership. Eleanor started teaching again at Oak Lake in 1968 and continued for 11 ½ years. She really enjoyed the Christmas concerts, field days and the Virden festival where she entered her Oak Lake students into Folk Dancing. Eleanor and Ken returned to Brandon in 2007. Ken passed away in 2011, after which Eleanor moved to Hobbs Manor in Brandon for 4 years. Eleanor was very close to her sister Eva, and they played music together whenever they could. They lived beside each other in later years in Brandon at Riverheights Terrace, and Rideau Park Personal Care Home. They enjoyed playing scrabble and spent many hours making quilts. Eleanor was an accomplished pianist who started playing in her early teens. She learned to play by ear from listening to music on the radio. She practiced with her sister Eva, who played the violin, and they played for dances on a regular basis. Eleanor played music all her life and often had friends gathered around her piano singing. She played for her students and at the senior homes when the opportunities arose. Eleanor and Ken went dancing whenever they could. Eleanor followed baseball closely as Ken played, managed and umpired in the Manitoba Senior Baseball league. In later years you could find Eleanor in front of the television, keeping score on a Blue Jays baseball game. In March they often spent some weeks in Mesa, Arizona where they could dance and watch baseball. They had many other interests including fishing, camping, curling, and traveling, usually to see people they knew across the country. A Celebration of Eleanor's life will be held at Central United Church, 327 8th Street, on Saturday, February 15th, at 1:00 P.M. Interment will take place at the Carroll cemetery following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.