Eleanor C. Orbe

Eleanor Orbe (née Catignani) of Treasure Island, Florida, formerly of Ridgewood and Ho-ho-kus, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on January 2, 2026 at the age of 96.

Born in 1929 in Dorchester, Massachusetts to a close-knit family with brothers Roland and Robert, Eleanor moved to Belmont, MA in her teen years when her widowed mother, Ada, married Peter Salvi. As a youth, Eleanor was an avid skier and swimmer and especially loved racing sailboats off Hull, MA with her brother Robert.

Ellie graduated from Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY where she was introduced to her future husband, Octavius Orbe (Tavy), by college classmate Miriam Hunt (then Kelly) who was Tavy's cousin. Ellie married Octavius in 1950 and he established the law practice of Orbe, Nugent Collins & Darcy in Ridgewood where he practiced for many decades. Ellie and Tavy were blessed with a large and very close family of seven children: Marianne Donahue (Jeffrey), Susan Smith (Steven), Michael Orbe (Nancy), Stephen Orbe (Christine), William Orbe (Mary Ann), Elizabeth Fischer (Vincent) and Joan Smith (Gregory). Ellie and Tavy have 10 grandchildren: Eleanor Boyd (née Donahue), Marian and Alison Smith, Gregory Octavius and Mollie Smith, Matthew, Katherine and Christopher Fischer, and Hudson and Easton Orbe

Ellie, along with Tavy, was active in Ridgewood and Bergen County community affairs. Ellie was involved in Junior Woman's Club of Ridgewood and later the College Club of Ridgewood and served on the board of the Bergen Community Museum. Additionally, Ellie undertook several entrepreneurial ventures including retail shop EM Cousins Antiques with her college chum, Miriam Hunt.

Ellie was much respected for her broad array of talents and skills including painting, dressmaking, interior decorating and entertaining. Ellie was an avid reader, master of crossword puzzles and penned humorous poems to celebrate major family milestones. She was a student and later a volunteer instructor at the Isabel O'Neil Studio Workshop in Manhattan which specialized in the decorative arts.

Ellie will be best remembered for her grace, elegance, quick wit, competence, intelligence and positive outlook on life. She effortlessly managed a household of nine while juggling volunteer activities, regular tennis and paddle tennis games, a broad social circle and involvement in her children's activities. Ellie's genuine warmth, optimism and joie de vivre were contagious and her family and friends will forever cherish the love, affection and humor she poured out to them. Ellie regularly spoke of how grateful she was for her good fortune in life; likewise, everyone who met Ellie said they felt welcomed and appreciated by her.

As with her husband, Eleanor's favorite place was Cape Cod, where they have owned a summer home since 1973. When not on the Cape, she and Tavy spent much of their time in Treasure Island, Florida.

Ellie and Tavy were role models for the children and grandchildren, exemplifying how to live life fully with love, kindness and endless exuberance. Octavius passed away in 2020. They will be missed.

A funeral mass will be held on Saturday January 24 at Saint Gabriel the Archangel Roman Catholic Church in Saddle River, New Jersey. A pre-reception will be held at the church beginning at 10:30 AM with the mass to begin at 11:15 AM.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Catholic Charities.