Eleanor Murton

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. Eleanor Murton had the ability to share all of these with others, never thinking about herself. She was a woman with a warm and giving heart who could always be counted on as a support to those close to her and a shoulder to lean on.

The 1920s was a decade in which times were drastically changing within America. Women had just gained the right to vote in 1919, and buying on credit was quickly becoming the nation’s favorite new discovery. In the same year, in Knox, New York, during a terrible ice storm on November 29th, Omer and Elsie (Auchampaugh) Snyder welcomed the birth of their first child, a very healthy 10 pound baby girl they named Eleanor. She was later joined by her brother, Harold, who completed the Snyder household.

Eleanor and her brother Harold were raised on their family’s farm in the village of Delanson in eastern New York and worshipped at the Evangelical United Brethren Church. Her parents made sure the kids learned responsibility by pitching in with daily chores associated with raising cows, chickens and horses. The family was quite poor and had no running water in the house, so it was Eleanor’s job to fetch water from a nearby well every day. Eleanor was a sweet though very shy girl who made friends easily. Much of her leisure time was spent playing outdoors with her friends and cousins, riding bikes and going ice-skating in the wintertime. Growing up on a farm, Eleanor had a love for animals, especially dogs and cats. For her education, she attended a one-room schoolhouse until high school, graduating from Delanson High in 1939.

When Eleanor was in her 20s, she worked as a nanny for the Rev. Neil Sheridan and his wife, Arlene. The Reverend was eventually transferred to a new church in Detroit, Michigan, and Eleanor left New York to live with them. In the early 1940s, during World War II, Eleanor did her part helping the war efforts by working in the factory, installing wiring into electrical panels for warplanes. Then, in 1946, Eleanor moved with the Sheridan’s to St. Johns, Michigan, where she took a job as a Nurse’s Aide at Clinton Memorial Hospital, taking care of newborn babies.

It was while living in St. Johns that Eleanor met her future husband, Robert “Bob” Murton, at her church, Bengal Evangelical United Brethren Church, which later became the Pilgrim United Methodist Church. The two fell in love and were happily married in her church on May 20, 1950. Before saying “I do,” Bob began building a home for them to live in after the wedding, which was located on a 200-acre dairy farm. Eleanor was no stranger to the hard work that comes with living on a farm, and her strong work ethic was a great asset to her husband. After 3 years of marriage, Eleanor and Bob were blessed with the birth of their first child, a son they named Kent. Four years later, they welcomed the birth of their daughter, Karen, who completed their family.

After almost 30 years of dairy farming, Bob retired in the late 1970s. He and Eleanor then had more time to devote to supporting their daughter, Karen, in her sporting events, and even sponsored her softball and volleyball teams. The couple also took some time to travel, taking bus tours across this great nation. Eleanor was also very active in her church (Pilgrim U.M.C.), particularly with the Christian Scouting Program called Caravan. She was a big bowler for many years too, and enjoyed the sport well into her 70s. In later years, when Eleanor was blessed with grandchildren, she loved spending time with them and supporting them in all their activities. Nothing made Eleanor happier than spending time with her family and friends; they were the ones who brought her life immeasurable joy.

Although Eleanor’s life was happy, it was also marked by great sorrow. Eleanor lost her beloved husband Bob in January 1992 after a sudden heart attack. Then, in October 2009, she was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor and was put under hospice care for the last 2 weeks. Surrounded by her loving family, Eleanor died on Monday, November 16, 2009, at the age of 87.

Family always came first in Eleanor’s heart and her unconditional love and selflessness reverberates through the hearts of her loved ones to this day. She will be dearly missed.

Eleanor is survived by her son, Kent Murton of Lansing; her daughter, Karen (Ken) Andrews of Dewitt; 9 grandchildren: Eric Andrews, Danae Andrews, Michelle Andrews, Nathan Andrews, Lisa Andrews, Kirsten Andrews, Britta Andrews, Michael Murton and Thomas Murton, several nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death was her parents, her husband, Robert, and one brother, Harold Snyder.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 19, at Pilgrim United Methodist Church with Pastor Kenneth Bremer officiating, and burial at Lowe Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18, at Osgood Funeral Home, 104 East Cass Street, St. Johns, MI. Please visit Eleanor’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory with her family or sign her online guest book.