Thursday, June 29, 2023

LINDA McELROY, HAROLD'S WIDOW, PASSES AWAY

 


                 Linda and Harold McElroy

Linda McElroy passes away

 

BJ Accounting retiree Linda Spoon McElroy, who married BJ Finance retiree Harold McElroy of Finance (both worked at BJ), passed away June 25.

 

The McElroys moved to Pawley’s Island, South Carolina.

 

Cheryl Sheinin, who was was at the BJ 45 years, informed me of Linda’s passing. Husband Neil Sheinin spent 42 years at the BJ, where Cheryl and Neil first met. They were married in 1957.

 

Debbie Fox and Janet Hall were best friends of  the McElroys at the BJ.

 Debbie posted to me:

“I was blessed to have her as a boss, she dedicated her life to the Beacon and her family. She was certainly one of a kind, I will forever remember our trip to Denver to watch the Browns in an AFC championship game. She loved the Browns.

 

After Harold passed away in 2011, Linda visited Akron a year or so later and was greeted at the Golden Corral on South Arlington Street by her Circulation friends

Bob Craiglow and wife Pat, Mike Jewell, Susan LindemanJanet Hall, Cheryl Sheinin, Martha (Cookie) Lipford, Noreen Dimmerling, Mickey Dimeff and Carol Eubank.

Linda lived a block away from the late BJ printer Dick Latshaw and wife Pat in Pawley’s Island, where retired BJ printer Sid Sprague lived before moving to Loveland, Colorado with his second wife.

In 2018 Linda drove Pat Latshaw, Dick Latshaw’s widow, from Pawleys Island to a Celebration of Life service for Dick at the Allenside Athletic Club on Manchester Road in Akron. Former BJ printer Mike Kerchan also attended.

 

Linda’s stepchildren and Harold’s daughter are Colleen Sweazy, Maureen Anderson. There's also Michele, Jamie and John Scott. There are 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

 

Michelle wrote a tribute to her mom that was so perfect that I’m repeating it here verbatim:

 

My Mom passed away after a short battle with a third occurrence of cancer. She was diagnosed about two months ago and her doctor was pretty optimistic that they had a good treatment plan in place, but it turned out to be more widespread than initially thought.

She started feeling bad a little over 2 weeks ago and declined fairly quickly. She decided to transition to comfort care after she was told she wouldn’t be able to come back from it and have any quality of life, which was so important to her.

She told me she didn’t want to go but she knew it was her time. She died a little under 36 hours later.

She was a great Mom, daughter, sister, wife to our stepdad Harold, aunt, great-aunt and cousin, and friend to many. But where she really excelled was as a grandmother and great-grandmother. It was the biggest joy of her life and she loved them all so much.

When she made her decision to stop fighting the cancer, she most regretted that she wouldn’t get to see the littlest ones again.

I miss her terribly but I have felt her at my back, pushing me to get through handling many of her affairs and her family knows her spirit will always be with us.

 

Akron native Harold’s obituary:

Harold Ray McElroy
Pawleys Island
Harold Ray McElroy, 74, beloved husband of Linda, passed away peacefully on Monday, September 5, 2011 at Waccamaw Community Hospital.
Born in Akron, Ohio, he was the son of the late Charles William and Elva McElroy. His great-granddaughter, Reagan Lacole Edwards, also preceded him in death. Harold retired from the Akron Beacon Journal after forty two years of service. He was the treasurer of the F.O.P.A. #6 for several years.
Surviving are his wife, Linda; children, Colleen Sweazy (Denny), Maureen Anderson, Michele, Jamie and John Scott; brother, Jim (Debby) of Burke, Va.; nephew, Jeff; ten grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Services will be held 3 p.m. Monday, September 12, 2011 at Goldfinch Funeral Home, Litchfield-Pawleys Chapel with visitation one hour prior to services.
In lieu of flowers or donation, the family requests that a tree be planted in Harold's memory.
Sign a guest book at 
www.goldfinchfuneralhome.com.
Goldfinch Funeral Home, Litchfield-Pawleys Chapel is in charge of arrangements.


No comments: