Eleanor Burriesci

Eleanor Burriesci, nee Heafey, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother passed away on Sunday from complications relating to cancer; Eleanor was the beloved wife of Nicholas for 56 years; loving mother of Christine (Jay) Ward, Stephen (Karen), Mark (Kathy), and Matthew (Erin) and the late Nicholas Burriesci (Maureen); cherished grandmother of Sophia, Jack, Annie, Kelly, Nicholas, Claire, Maddie, Luke, Ava, Jace, Violet, Henry and the late Isabelle; dear sister of John and the late Maureen and sister-in-law of Kathleen and John; devoted daughter of the late Michael and Ellen “Lil”, nee Gilboy, Heafey; fond aunt of many nieces and nephews. Eleanor was a gracious and generous spirit. A retired nurse, she was a lover of Bridge, gardening, and golf, and a semi-lover of skiing. A world traveler and an avid reader, she completed the University of Chicago’s Great Books program, and she was a regular theatergoer. She will be dearly missed by her many friends and family members, including her book club, travel club, golf club, nursing colleagues, and Lake Geneva group. Now that Eleanor has passed, we can release the secret Irish ingredient to her famous pasta sauce: it’s a stick of butter. She withheld this information for decades. As she said when she was found out by her children, “The secret is always butter.” Friends and family will meet Friday, June 25, 2021, for a Mass of Christian Burial beginning at 9:30 at Immaculate Conception Church, 134 Arthur Street, Elmhurst.  Live stream of the Mass available through the funeral home’s website on Eleanor’s obituary page.  A celebration of her life will immediately follow. In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to NAMI, PO Box 49104 Baltimore, MD 21297 or the World Literacy Foundation, PO Box 44, Grandville, Michigan 49468.  Arrangements handled by Gibbons Funeral Home, Elmhurst. 630-832-0018 or  www.gibbonsfuneralhome.com

** Live stream of Mass available Here : http://www.icelmhurst.org/default.asp?sec_id=180009300