Eleanor Reo

Eleanor Lupi Reo, 95, passed away peacefully on July 27, 2024 at The Courville in Manchester, NH, with her children by her side. Born October 18, 1928 in Schenectady, NY, the daughter of Italian immigrants, Annibale "Ben" and Giovanna "Jennie" (Maiorano) Lupi, Eleanor was a farm girl with her nose in a book when she was supposed to be doing chores. She cherished her childhood and the time spent with her siblings and cousins on her Uncle Joe's farm in Pine Bush.
Eleanor dreamed of going to Vassar College and becoming an actress. Instead, after graduating from Draper High School, she became a secretary to the Vice President of Sales at the American Locomotive Company. In 1950 she married the love of her life, Ugo Reo, and they built two homes in Schenectady and Niskayuna as they raised three children and celebrated 44 years of marriage until his death in 1994. Their shared values focused on providing a better life for their children, encouraging education and individuality. Passionate and excitable, they often appeared to be in character for the television show "I Love Lucy", in the signature roles of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo.
Eleanor had a 30-year career with General Electric, holding a variety of positions in recruiting, GE Realty, and ultimately as a document librarian for the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. She deeply admired the chemists and nuclear physicists she worked with, but her passion was her family and her Italian heritage. Known as the Queen, the matriarch of our family, Eleanor had a more generous heart than you could imagine and never forgot a name or face. If you were a friend of her children, you were family. She loved anything with a leopard pattern, her cranberry Jaguar Vanden Plas, Italian opera, Van Cliburn, the sun, fashion, and Jackie Kennedy. She didn't take herself too seriously and enjoyed being silly, while she also gold-medaled in worrying. She never minded being a novice, hitting the tennis ball around at Central Park, or braving the slopes at Maple Ski Ridge. The Queen disliked cooking and housework (but enjoyed talking about how bad she was at both) and was a pack rat, much to the dismay of her children. Eleanor was a more devout Democrat than she was a Catholic, although she prayed to the Blessed Mother. But most of all, our matriarch was sweet, kind, sentimental, generous and fun and above all she had remarkable compassion and empathy for the less fortunate. Her internal and external beauty overflowed. Eleanor was one of a kind.
Eleanor was preceded in death by her husband Ugo Reo, her brother Louis Lupi, sister, Theresa Lupi Cuomo, in-laws Dareo Reo, Vera Reo, Ralph Cuomo and Louise Lupi, niece Lisa Lupi Media-Villa, and great nephews Christian Cuomo and Nicholas Media-Villa. Having lived a long and full life, she was also predeceased by many treasured friends, including Amelia Lombardi and Billie Tessitore, and the rest of the gang from the Niskayuna Swim Club in the 1960's.
She is survived by her three children Michele Stevener (Michael) of Candia, NH, Philip Reo (Pamela) of Ocala, FL, and James Reo (Caroline) of Arlington, VA. Also her beloved grandchildren Jesse (Shauna), Megan (Kevin), Lauren (Kevin), Austin (Lindsey), Carly (Ryan), Max, Talia and Adam; and great-grandchildren Maggie, Maeve, Ryder, Raya, Sienna, and Reyna. She is also survived by sister-in-law Rena Reo and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends Sandy Lookebill, Beatrice Knight and Gloria Basualdo. The Reo family thanks the staff of The Courville for their compassionate and excellent care.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday August 17, 2024 at 10:00 am at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, 1803 Union St., Niskayuna, NY 12309. A calling hour will precede the mass from 9:00 to 10:00 am at the church. Interment will be in St. John's Cemetery, Schenectady, NY. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memorial Giving, 501 St. Jude Place. Memphis, TN 38105 or StJude.org/donate