Eleanor Boley Obituary

Eleanor B. Boley died on March 8, 2021. She is survived by two of her children, Stuart E. Boley (Lisa) and Karen Boley-Chang, son-in-law David W. May, and five grandchildren: Caitlin Boley, Lucas Boley, Colleen Boley (Sean Hill), Nicholas May (Sarah Heady), and Andrés Chang. She was preceded in death by her husband, Alan E. Boley, daughter Susan E. Boley-May, and her brothers, Robert and Marshall. Eleanor was born on August 10, 1924 in Columbus, Kansas, to Albert N. and Henrietta Haynes Bingham. She graduated from Ft. Scott High School in 1941. Later that year her family moved to Wichita, Kansas. Eleanor put herself through the University of Wichita by working at a pharmacy and as an aircraft inspector at Boeing. She majored in English, was a member of Alpha Tau Sigma sorority, and graduated in 1947 with a B.A. degree.

After graduation Eleanor continued to work at Boeing in Wichita and married Alan E. Boley in 1949. They moved to New Jersey in 1950, where Alan was employed as a chemist by Merck & Company. Eleanor worked for the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company before the birth of the first of their three children.

In 1956 Eleanor and Alan moved their family to Lenexa, Kansas, where the couple lived for the rest of their lives. Eleanor was a homemaker, raising her children, and was active in PTA, church groups and the League of Women Voters. In 1967 she became a social worker in Wyandotte County with the State of Kansas. She specialized in foster care and adoptions, and served the community until her retirement in late 1986. In January 1968, along with five thousand women from across the country, Eleanor participated in the Women's March on Washington to protest the Vietnam War and petition for peace.

An avid birder, Eleanor's enthusiasm for the outdoors was also evidenced by her love of camping and spending time in Shawnee Mission Park. She enjoyed traveling, before and after retirement, to visit family and go on Elderhostel adventures. She went to France, Switzerland, Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands, in addition to numerous trips to the American West and Florida. A good, hot cup of coffee was a necessary component for all of these adventures.

In 1995 Eleanor and Alan moved to Lakeview Village in Lenexa, where they participated in many activities and made many friends. Eleanor volunteered in multiple ways at Lakeview over the years. Eleanor and Alan enjoyed the Kansas City Lyric Opera and were founding members of the Grasshoppers, a group that traveled to hear the Des Moines Opera every summer. They also were patrons of the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, the Kansas City Ballet, and the Kansas City Symphony. For many years Eleanor was a volunteer at Shawnee Mission Hospital, the Lenexa Historical Society and she volunteered as a poll worker for numerous elections.

She will be greatly missed. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Lakeview Foundation at 9100 Park Street, Lenexa, KS 66215.

A Celebration of Life for Eleanor is planned for:

Saturday, April 3, 2021 at 10:30 am Central Daylight Time

The Zoom URL is: https://tinyurl.com/2ant2hj7