Eleanor Chernoff

Chernoff, Eleanor Born June 21, 1938 – February 5, 2020 aged 81 years 

With deep sadness, the Chernoff family announces the sudden passing of Eleanor Chernoff on Wednesday, February 05, 2020. Eleanor is predeceased by her parents (Jennie and Mike Schebywolok), her sister (Bonnie Simpson), her husband (Sam Chernoff) and her daugher (Michelle Fishley). Eleanor is survived by her 2 sons Bruce (and Celeste) and Wayne (and Sheryl). Wayne and Sheryl have four sons (Logan, Hudson, Ryan and Jayden).

Eleanor moved from a small farm to Kamsack in 1944, after Mike won a house (still under construction) on Queen Elizabeth Boulevard in a card game. Eleanor attended the Sacred Heart Academy in Yorkton and when she returned home met Sam while he was attending the Kamsack Collegiate Institute and renting a small room in a house across the street. Eleanor and Sam were married in 1957, and were the adorable and coolest new couple in Kamsack.

Everyone in Kamsack knew and loved Sam. Sam was a teacher, baseball player, curler, carpenter and played in a dance band. And he was pretty good at all of these activities. But no one knew that it was really Eleanor who quietly encouraged and supported these achievements. She worked as a SaskTel switch board operator in Kamsack while Sam attended university and had to bring both of her children to work (there was no day care back then). Eleanor followed Sam’s teaching career to a small rural school in Sliding Hills (Luzan), Togo and eventually Kamsack. Eleanor eventually worked at the SaskPower office in Kamsack and during those years learned the names and stories of almost all her customers. Eleanor was Sam’s apprentice during his ongoing construction projects and she would patiently hold a board in place while Sam measured it 3 times. Eleanor stayed up until 03:00 AM on those cold winter nights waiting for Sam to return home after his band played at a dance and helped him haul those 120 pound Fender amplifiers into the basement. During all of these busy years Eleanor owned only 2 good evening dresses and a small box of makeup. And Eleanor did all of this without any complaints or doubt as to what her guiding and protecting role was for the family.

Eleanor was an aspiring painter and the family cabin still has a few of her paintings hanging on the wall. Eleanor attended a few university classes in Yorkton and would have completed a degree if the demands of the family would have permitted it. Eleanor loved to cook and the picnic baskets she packed during the summer could feed everyone in the park. Eleanor and Sam started every day with a strong cup of coffee and a detailed discussion on what needed to get done. For some odd reason, Eleanor always had a longer list of tasks and somehow managed to get all of them done. And when we lost Michelle in 1994, and Sam in 2011, she maintained the emotional and structural integrity of our small family (we still had mom). Later in life, Mom (and her rescue dog) patiently waited for her sons to return home and to share their adventures and experiences with her.

Eleanor had an natural curiosity of life (why we were here) and was interested in the religious and philosophical opinions of other people. Just prior to the funeral we found the lyrics to Dust in the Wind (Kansas) hand written by her and suspiciously placed where we would find it. She recognized that our physical life on earth was short and that there had to be something more to all of this. "I close my eyes only for a moment and the moments gone. All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity. Dust in the wind. All they are is dust in the wind".

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. from St. Josaphat’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, Kamsack, SK., with Father Warren Dungen officiating. Interment to follow at the Riverview Cemetery, Kamsack, SK.  For those who wish to donate in memory of Eleanor may do so to St. Josaphat’s Ukrainian Catholic Church (Box 485, Kamsack, Sk. S0A 1S0) as tokens of remembrance.  To leave a note of condolence for the family please visit wolkowski.ca

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