Eleanor Ann Sanders - Van Meter

Eleanor Ann Sanders passed away peacefully on the afternoon of February 1, 2014, in the embrace of her son, Justin, and her daughter-in-law, Shari. Born Eleanor Ann Storck on March 3, 1946, in Des Moines, Iowa, Eleanor spent her childhood and teenage years in Van Meter, Iowa. She graduated from Van Meter High School in May of 1964 and then attended the American Institute of Business. In February of 1966, Eleanor began working for the Iowa Heart Association. She continued to work for the American Heart Association for nearly forty years, moving to Dallas to work at the national center in 1985. She retired from AHA in June of 2004 and then worked for Tuesday Morning in her retirement. Eleanor will be remembered as a loving mother, grandmother and dear friend to those who knew her. For many years, Eleanor's top priorities were raising her son, Justin, and taking care of her mother, Cynthia, who lived with Eleanor in her later years until her passing in September of 2009. In her retirement, Eleanor spent a great deal of time with her beloved grandchildren, Jacob and Sydney. She always enjoyed taking Jacob and Sydney shopping, to the museum and out to eat, having them over to spend the night often and working crafts together. She also enjoyed traveling to Iowa and attending cat shows in various cities to be with her lifetime friend, Lynn Landers-Dickinson, and Lynn's husband, John. Eleanor's absolute favorite pastime was following sports...of any kind. She enjoyed watching local, national and international athletics, and kept up with her favorite local teams even through her last days of life. She loved spending time with Justin and her friends at sporting events of all types. She also enjoyed shopping, gardening and inviting birds to flock to her many birdhouses. Knitting also kept her busy, and she made many scarves that will be keepsakes for her friends and family. In her last days, she joined the knitting circle at Orchard Park of Murphy, where she spent her last month happy and comfortable, sharing her craft and making new friends. Eleanor made friends quite easily. Her many friends from AHA and Tuesday Morning made her last weeks enjoyable with many special visits and meals. She will be remembered by them as being fun-loving, dedicated and a sports-enthusiast, but, above all, a special person with a wonderful sense of humor. Her expertise in her work was renowned and her dependability celebrated by anyone who worked with her. Eleanor was always the first to volunteer to help out both at work and outside of it, from dressing up as the Easter Bunny for Chip and Lois Sugrue's daughter Missy, her dear friends, and their neighbors, to serving on her Home Owner's Association board in her last years. She could also be counted on for regular blood donations, giving anytime there was an extra need as well, because she wanted to be useful to her community. Though her family and friends were shocked to lose Eleanor so early and quickly to brain cancer, they are nevertheless grateful to all those who made her very short time memorable and peaceful. The family thanks the doctors, nurses, aides, techs and staff at UT Southwestern, Health South of Plano, Medical Center Plano, Orchard Park of Murphy and Amity Hospice for their nurturing compassion and tender care of not just Eleanor, but also her family and friends. Eleanor is preceded in death by her parents, Paul George Storck and Cynthia Irene Scrivner Storck. She is survived by her loving son, Justin, and his wife, Shari, as well as her two beloved grandchildren, Jacob and Sydney. She will also be remembered dearly by Lynn Landers-Dickinson, who was like a sister to her, and Lynn's husband, John, as well as the Sugrue family; Chip, Lois and Melissa. A visitation will be held at Allen Family Funeral Options on Tuesday, February 4, from 7:00 - 9:00 PM. The funeral service will take place at Messiah Lutheran Church in Plano on Wednesday, February 5, at 1:00 PM. Eleanor will be laid to rest at Trinity Lutheran Cemetery near Van Meter, Iowa, on Friday, February 7, following an 11:00 AM service at McCalley Funeral Home in Adel, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the American Heart Association. Online condolences may be left at this site. Service: 11:00 AM Friday, February 7, 2014 McCalley Funeral Home Adel, Iowa