Eleanor Alice Radigan (née Moore) was born on August 15, 1940 in Sewickley, Pennsylvania to Olive Elizabeth Purdy Moore and Herbert Moore.  She passed away on March 11, 2024 at 83 years of age.  Eleanor was the eldest of 5 children and the only girl.  She was raised in a kind and loving house with her four brothers Herb , Jim, Dave, and Fred.  She was described as a happy child, "always with her nose in a book."  She was such a bright student that she was asked to skip a grade. She loved reading and making sure her brothers ate their vegetables.

Ellie graduated from West Allegheny High School in 1958. She then studied at and graduated from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.  At 19 her roommate and best friend, Barbara Peterson, convinced her to move to San Diego, California. Upon arriving in California, Ellie remembers saying, "I just felt like I was at home!"  (Several years later, now with two kids and a husband, Ellie would leave California for Virginia and she remembers saying, "I had to get used to how green Virginia was.") Barbara and Ellie found jobs as legal secretaries, and an apartment in Mission Beach--a progressive, "hippie" community much different from the countryside of Pennsylvania.  Her boss once told her, "You are the antithesis of Mission Beach."  This annoyed Ellie, not because of the sentiment, but because she didn't know what "antithesis" meant and she prided herself on her vocabulary.  She always mentioned it was one of the few words she had to ever look up. It was here that Ellie would meet her husband and begin a journey around the world.  Welcome to the Navy, Mrs. Radigan!

On April 12, 1969, Ellie married Matthew James Radigan (Jim) of Bronx, New York.  They met at a party in San Diego when Jim asked Ellie if anyone had ever told her she looked like Paula Prentiss.  Their time together brought them all over the world with stays as far as Japan and Greece and stops all over the United States.  Two important stops were Corpus Christi, Texas where their daughter, Amy was born and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where their son Matt was born.   She became the most proud and loving of mothers.

Ellie settled her last 40 years in Burke, Virginia.  Here she had an esteemed career with Fairfax County Schools, volunteered with Meals on Wheels and the USO.  She was the most gracious of hostesses and continued being a caring mom, a helpful neighbor, and an  unwavering friend.  She was described as kind, caring, stunning, and oblivious to rank--she treated everyone the same no matter where they were from or what they did.  She loved to laugh, she loved to read, and was an excellent cook. Though rarely heard, she could also do a strong "Quack!."  She and was loved by many--especially her husband, children and grandson, Connor.

We love you Ellie, Mom, Nor.   You are with us, always.

IN MEMORIAM

In remembrance of Ellie Radigan's life, the family asks that any charitable donations

be made to ReadyKids or Madison Reading Project.

ReadyKids

• ReadyKids is a local non-profit serving
children and families in Charlottesville,
VA and the surrounding counties for
over 100 years. Their mission is to
promote kids' wellbeing through
counseling, family support, and early
learning opportunities. Each year, they
impact more than 4,400 kids, parents,
and early childhood educators.

Link to donation page: https://give-usa.keela.co/readykidscville

• When making your gift, please checkthe
box that says "I would like to dedicate
this gift." and additional fields will
become available to indicate that your
gift is in memory of Ellie Radigan.

Madison Reading Project

• Madison Reading Project Madison Reading
Project connects the community with free
books and literacy resources that ignite a
love for reading and affirm and reflect the
diversity of young readers. The organization
provides new books, literacy engagement
events, and resources to children, families,
and educators at no cost to help raise
literacy rates, grow book ownership, and
diversify classroom libraries. Since 2014, the
organization has donated over half a million
free books to kids.
Link to donation page: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/madisonreadingproject

• When making your gift please select the
"Dedicate this Gift" box and indicate that
your gift is in memory of Ellie Radigan.