Elinor Klein

Elinor grew up in Atlanta, NY as the oldest of four children. She graduated from Wayland HS and attended Syracuse University for one year before marrying Jack Walker in 1947, with whom she had five children. Elinor and Jack bought a house on Dartmouth St. where Elinor would live for the next 63 years. She and Jack divorced in 1963, and in 1966 Elinor married William Klein, who was the love of her life. Once her children were grown, Elinor and Bill ran the Dartmouth House Bed and Breakfast in the family home for 22 years while also traveling extensively abroad and visiting all 50 states.

Elinor was always one to be involved in the community. She was a member of the Asbury Methodist Church for many years and was the Director of the Cooperative Preschool program at Third Presbyterian Church from 1956-1964. Education was important to Elinor. Despite her lack of a college degree, she was hired as the director of the Lighted School House after-school tutoring program in the inner city in the early 1960s. She always encouraged and was very proud of the educational accomplishments of her children and grandchildren.

Elinor volunteered in many groups including scouting and the YMCA. With Bill, she was active in the Memorial Society (Funeral Consumer Alliance) at the local, state, and federal levels. She was a member of the Rochester Depression Glass Club, where she loved to talk about the different patterns in her collection and their history. She even used the dishes when serving meals at the Bed and Breakfast.

Elinor had many interests including travel, watching Jeopardy, solving crossword puzzles, reading mysteries, and perhaps most of all … “collecting people.” There was nothing she enjoyed as much as meeting people, learning their stories, and connecting them to other people she knew, saying, “I just met a really nice person who …”.

Of all her interests and hobbies, nothing mattered more to Elinor than her family. Like her mother before, she became a matriarch, ensuring there were regular gatherings of the family, and that everyone was included and welcome. The strong sense of commitment and connection to each other is one of the many legacies Elinor leaves behind for her family. She is survived by her five children: Tracy (Karen) Walker, Greg Walker, Jill (Tom) Cicero, Randy (Susan) Walker, and Scott Walker; Nine grandchildren: Sarah (Adam) Walker Cleaveland, Matthew (Betsy) Walker, Marc Watson, Jasmine (Hollis) Easter, Mason (Molly) Walker, Grace Walker, Lena Walker, Jade (Randy) Krumm, and Alissa (Aaron) Thorne; and 14 great grandchildren.

Elinor was, and remains, beloved, and she will be greatly missed. She was always one to lift others up and remind them of all that is good in the world. “Smile awhile,” she would say, “and while you smile, another smiles, and after awhile you have miles and miles of smiles.”

A memorial service for Elinor R. Klein will be held on Friday, April 21, 2023 at 2:00pm at Third Presbyterian Church located at 4 Meigs St., Rochester, NY 14607.  Contributions in her memory may be directed to the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Greater Rochester https://www.fcagr.com/donate.html