Eleanor Elaine Gammon

ellie and jack 2005-09-25 Ellie birthday 138Eleanor Elaine and Jack Fall Gammon

  • She met her husband Jack at a Walgreens soda counter in Galesburg, IL
  • They lived in various locations in early married life, including Truman, Arkansas; Louisville, Kentucky; ______ and ending up in Brentwood, in the St. Louis, MO suburbs
  • They raised three children Nancy Jo, Thomas Lee and Lance Edward

A quick overview of Ellie’s life includes…

  • Graduated from Abingdon HS and then went to Galesburg to work as a secretary
  • In Galesburg she shared a room with her friend Mary Lou Lacey – the landlady got tired of receiving all the phone calls from so many interested suitors
  • She then lived at the Catherine Club (a place for working women to stay) in Galesburg, IL
  • Worked at Ladue schools for a number of years in their office – did the announcements and a lot of other efforts

Among some lesser-known facts, she…

  • sang with her two sisters in a trio
  • was an accomplished pianist
  • loved to sew and was gifted at it. She made many of her own clothes (both because she liked to do it and it saved money)

HERE are some of her favorite memories of family days in Delong, in her handwriting!

A quick overview of Jack’s life includes…

  • he grew up in poverty in Florence, AL. He told stories of some of the challenges and opportunities that came along with a large family and little money
  • he graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Industrial Engineering
  • Jack was in Galesburg, IL with the military with the Air Cadets at Knox College when he met Ellie
  • Jack’s first job was at Singer Sewing Machine – $200 a month.
  • Then to Louisville for a job in the liquor industry for Seagram’s
  • Then to Ford in production (didn’t want his kids to say that their dad worked for Seagram’s)
  • Ended up at McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis working with aircraft
  • Worked jobs after retirement in sporting goods (maybe he spent almost as much as he earned, using the store discount?), high school security and as a crossing guard
  • buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery – headstone & FindAGrave info HERE

Among some lesser-known facts, he…

  • was an outdoorsman, with a love for hunting, hiking and fishing
  • hiked the entire Appalachian Trail (in segments) and met a young man from University of Alabama and they completed the trail together
  • killed a bear with his bare hands (or at least he could tell the story in a way you’d almost believe this…)    🙂

Here is a videotape from 2003 with Jack & Eleanor Gammon talking with Steve Long about some memories – with approximate video elapsed time in parentheses

  • Preparing chicken for dinner (2:15 mark on the video)
  • No inclination for college (4:00)
  • Met Jack when I was 18 (5:00)
  • Meeting Ellie at Walgreens (6:15)
  • Tales of Samuel L. Cline – VW, gassing up the vehicle (10:30)
  • Lucky to have married into Cline family; chili and meeting in-laws (12:30)
  • Amish tour with Samuel B. Cline (16:30)
  • Samuel L. reading postcards of others (19:40)
  • School experience in Delong (24:00)
  • Lifetime tips they got from Samuel L. and Gladys M. (25:00)
  • Outstanding citizens (28:00)
  • Tips they would share (29:30)
  • Early memories of Lyn Long (32)
  • Early memories of Cliff Long (35)
  • Some humor – Cliff emptying the coffee pot (36)
  • Cliff & Lyn’s wedding (37)
  • Cliff’s “can do” approach and how that’s a “Cline behavior” (38)
  • Faith-based life thoughts (40)

Here is the videotape of Eleanor Elaine Gammon’s celebration of life (thanks to Thad for doing the recording – and changing to his phone when the videocamera ran low!)

Here are photos from the 2013 weekend where we celebrated Eleanor’s life (password is Delong matriarch’s name in all lower case)

Reviewed/additions by:  Marilyn Long,