Obituary of Eleanor Jane Mooney

Eleanor “Ellie” Jane (Olson) Mooney, died after an extended illness on November 3, 2016 in her home surrounded by her loving family. Born and raised in Woburn, Eleanor was graduated as Valedictorian from St. Charles High School with the class of 1957. Eleanor was an extraordinarily beautiful woman who did some modeling during high school and was on even on the cover of the Boston Herald Magazine. Eleanor is survived by her devoted husband John “Jack” Mooney, former Reading Fire Chief. Jack and Ellie met in a hurricane and married in a blizzard on February 16, 1958. They made their home in Burlington where they raised their four children. Jack and Ellie complimented each other perfectly. Ellie was the dreamer and Jack the dream maker. Whatever Ellie wanted Jack made sure she got. Until the end they worked together fighting for more time together and against this terrible disease called Alzheimer’s. The marriage of Jack and Ellie will serve as the gold standard of marriage for many generations to come. Eleanor is survived by four of her children and extended family; Mark and his girlfriend Vanessa Anselme of Burlington, John and his wife Jean of Burlington, Beth and her husband Keith Downer of Billerica, Matthew and his wife Laurel of Westford. Eleanor was the biggest supporter of her Grandchildren; Erin and her husband Josh, Dawn, Jill and her husband Matthew, J.T., Cory, Ryan and his wife Christina, Elana and her husband Kevin, Rhiannon, Luke, Jake, and Ally. Eleanor’s influence reached her Great-Grandchildren as well; Gwen, Brady, Dylan, Kailey, Mia, Ryleigh, Madalynn, Ryan James, and Jake Thomas. Eleanor was a caring sister to; George “Butch” and his wife Beverly Olson, Alfred and his wife Susan Olson, Jimmy and his wife Cathy Olson, David and his wife Bonnie Olson, and cherished cousin Mary Doucette. Eleanor was a dear sister-in- law to Francis and Ann Mooney, Mary Lou O’Reilly, Thomas and Carrie Mooney. Eleanor was also very much loved and admired by her 25 nieces and nephews. Eleanor is preceded in death by her daughter Mary Beth, her parents George and Gladys (Doucette) Olson, and two of her siblings Elaine Lennon and Lawrence Olson. Eleanor’s late father, George, was a city Engineer for Woburn who made a lasting contribution in recreation and water conservation. Eleanor was a woman ahead of her time and a true visionary with a tenacious spirit. After spending many years working her way up the ladder in the restaurant business by waitressing, bartending and managing restaurants, Eleanor teamed up with her son John in 1982 and opened “Ellie’s Place” - a successful restaurant in the South end of Woburn. Eleanor’s entrepreneurial spirit and deep respect for her late father inspired her to work tirelessly with her husband and family by her side on a project that would ultimately restore a vandalized and neglected historical landmark in Woburn. Eleanor’s efforts resulted in The Baldwin Landing Restaurant, a first class restaurant reminiscent of colonial times. In 1986, Eleanor sold The Baldwin Landing and opened a corporate catering business in Billerica called Buffets Inc. Eleanor missed the daily interaction with her customers, so in 2009 Eleanor added Home Sweet Home, a take out restaurant with a small dining room, to her accomplishments. Both Buffets Inc. and Home Sweet Home have been left in the capable hands of her hardworking and talented Sons and Grandsons. Ellie was a passionate woman with a great sense of style. She put her all into both her restaurants and her family. In business Ellie was a tough, driven entrepreneur who refused to take no for an answer. Ellie was outspoken and had a will of steel. Ellie was giving, kind and compassionate human being. She accidently gave a diamond and emerald anniversary ring to a homeless person along with some spare change and when she realized what she had done her response was “Oh well I hope he uses it to get engaged to someone and it makes them both happy”! Ellie had hard working hands that worked on countless endeavors for the sake of her family from cooking dinners, raising children, building restaurants, sewing wedding gowns, Halloween costumes, baking cookies, wiping tears and hosting parties. Ellie was happiest at work talking with the customers, planning a function, or baking cookies. At home Ellie loved decorating, dreaming up projects for Jack and hosting Sunday dinners and parties - especially on Christmas Eve. Ellie enjoyed dancing right up until the end even though she could barely stand. Ellie had a soul that was undeniable and a zest for life that was unmatched. Visiting hours will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Friday, Nov. 4 from 4-8 p.m. A Memorial Mass will be held at St. Malachy’s, 99 Bedford St. Burlington on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 9:30 a.m. Relatives & friends respectfully invited to attend. In lieu of flowers memorials in Eleanor’s name may be made to Alzheimer’s Association Massachusetts Chapter, 480 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472 www.alz.org or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 www.stjudge.org for directions see www.saint-malachy.org