The Woodhaven Beat: Remembering Eleanor Errante
By Ed Wendell
Woodhaven lost a good one this week with the passing of Eleanor Errante at 103, with many of those years dedicated to the betterment of the community she called home for over 90 years. She was lively and spirited and had a wonderful smile matched by a great sense of humor. She was also a very kind, friendly woman.
If you didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Eleanor, here’s a little bit about her. She was born Eleanor Shannon to Catherine and Edward Shannon in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in 1921. After her father’s tragic passing at an early age, Eleanor’s family moved to Woodhaven. That was in 1933 and she called us home ever since.
Her first home in Woodhaven was on 80th Street and she remembers a neighborhood that had streets that were so lined with trees that you could walk an entire block on a sunny day, and not leave the shade.
She worked for a time as a bookkeeper in a chemical company, where she met a young man named George Errante. They wanted to get married, but the outbreak of World War 2 would separate them for 36 months. Upon his return from service, George and Eleanor were married and soon had 2 children, Robert and Lorraine.
Eleanor began getting involved in our community when she volunteered and took an interest in numerous organizations that were dedicated to the interests of local children — Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, The Mother’s Club of St. Thomas the Apostle, etc.
She had been a regular member of the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association from the beginning, and she also got involved in local politics, eventually becoming a District Leader, a position she held for decades.
And in 2011 Eleanor Errante was honored by the WRBA as Woodhaven’s Woman of the Year, an honor that was as much for her lifetime contribution to our community as it was for her current and ongoing activities.
Back in 2014, Eleanor was an outspoken critic of the city as they allowed a derelict building to shut down both our local volunteer ambulance corps and our senior center. And at the age of 93, Eleanor led a rally blasting the city for actions harmful to the seniors of our community.
Eleanor never let her age stop her and she continued to be involved well into her 90s. In fact, it took a worldwide pandemic to keep Eleanor inside for a while.
Back in May 2020, a small gathering of friends was organized by Assemblyman Mike Miller, Catholic Charities and Eleanor’s daughter, Lorraine. We donned our masks and kept our distance and stood with Eleanor outside her house to wish her a happy 99th birthday.
And before we parted ways, we all promised that we’d gather again in a year to wish her a Happy 100th Birthday.
Friends of Eleanor Errante gathered in front of her house to wish her a Happy 99th Birthday. From left to right, MaryEllen Ohea, Steve Forte’, Janet Forte’, Carmela Isabella, Josephine Wendell, Eleanor’s daughter Lorraine, Eleanor Errante (the birthday girl) and Assemblyman Mike Miller.
Remember, this was at the peak of the Covid; it seemed like we all knew so many people that had fallen to that terrible virus. And we were making this promise to a 99-year-old woman. Yet I don’t think there was one of us who doubted that she’d be there 365 days from then. And she was.
In May of 2021 Eleanor was joined by a much larger gathering of friends and family at Roma View in Howard Beach. Not only was everyone excited to be there for Eleanor’s special day, but the CDC had just released less-restrictive rules and guidelines, making everyone doubly in the mood to celebrate.
Woodhaven’s Eleanor Errante and her family at the celebration of her 100th Birthday in May 2021. A year earlier, for her 99th birthday, her friends had to gather outside, socially distanced and masked.
Eleanor was in her element, working the room and joking around with her friends and family. She was making them laugh and she even danced a little bit. I think if you live long enough to dance at your 100th birthday party surrounded by the people you love, you’ve had one hell of a successful life.
Eleanor Errante was a big part of what made our neighborhood great for nearly a century and she will be missed. She has earned this rest, and we pray that it is a peaceful one.