Eleanore Maxwell

Eleanore Catherine Maxwell, 95, of Millersburg, formerly of Lancaster, left us peacefully in her sleep on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025.

Ellie, as she was affectionately known to her family and friends, is survived by her sister, Audrey Jevit; a daughter, Maureen, and two sons, James Jr. and Kenneth; and a grandson, Dylan.

Eleanore was born Jan. 10, 1930, in Wilkes-Barre, where she later married James E. Maxwell. When her daughter, Maureen, was 3, they relocated to Lancaster, where they built a life and family. Eleanore continued to call Lancaster her home following the death of her husband in 1999. After a fall in 2020, she resided in a Rehab Center in Lancaster until her daughter moved her to the Northern Dauphin Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Millersburg, where she received an exceptional level of care.

In her lifetime, Eleanore was a snazzy dresser, loved to shop, loved new cars, and had a closet of shoes. Even in the skilled care setting, she continued to want her rouge and lipstick applied daily as she did almost every day of her life.

Eleanore had cancer in 1998 and lost her leg to over-radiation. Not one to be deterred from living her life on her own terms, she began wearing a prosthetic leg above the knee, and at the age of 69, she learned to walk again and remained very active until her fall.

Eleanore loved to dance and sing; she was a fabulous cook and baker. She provided healthy and interesting foods — and spaghetti on every Wednesday. Eleanore left a legacy at Northern Dauphin and will be remembered for her cheerfulness, her shopping in her mind, her breaking out in song for no reason other than for fun, and for her ever constant companion — an orange stuffed cat named Penny that went with her everywhere.

Beyond being a loving mother, sister, and daughter, she had also worked as an executive secretary for RCA, and later, when they closed, she traveled to Harrisburg to work in the same capacity for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education. Eleanore will be remembered for the love she demonstrated in caring for her family and her work, but most of all, for how she lived her life with a smile. She will be missed but never forgotten.

Those wishing to honor the life of Eleanore Maxwell are invited to consider making a donation in her name to the Activity Department/Employee Appreciation Fund to: Northern Dauphin Nursing & Rehabilitation, 900 Medical Road, Millersburg, PA 17061.

To share memories and condolences with the family, visit www.RonSmithFuneralHome.com. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Ronald C. L. Smith Funeral Home, Duncannon.