Eleanor Space Szaszy passed away peacefully after a long battle with diabetes on March 13, 2018, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She was 76 years old. She was preceded in death by her husband of 40 years, Alexander Laszlo Szaszy, in 2008.
Eleanor was born on March 19, 1941, in Ford City, a small town in western Pennsylvania. The eldest of four, she was the daughter of Macedonian immigrants, and she took great pride in her heritage. As a young girl, she enjoyed helping her father at their General Store.
She excelled academically, played sports, and was a cheerleader in high school. After graduating as valedictorian of her class, she attended Penn State University where she majored in Russian Studies and was named “Most Outstanding Student”. After college, during the sixties, she traveled to the Soviet Union twice in order to better understand the Russian people and their culture.
On one of those trips, she served as a Russian interpreter for the United Nations. Soon after, she attended the University of California at Berkeley where she earned a Master’s in English. In 1965, during a Summer Linguistics Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she met the love of her life and future husband.
At the time, Alex was working at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. So, their love affair was destined to prevail. They were married in 1967 and soon after moved to Carmel-by-the Sea where they established their careers and raised their two children.
Eleanor was admired, brilliant, quick to laugh, and passionate about history, politics, and international relations. She was attentive and fun-loving, thoughtful and generous, encouraging and supportive. After working in the educational publishing industry for several years, she became a Professor of English at Monterey Peninsula College where she taught for 36 years.
Teaching young adults how to become effective communicators was one of her greatest joys. A good life consists of precious relationships, finding one’s passion, and making a positive difference in the world. Eleanor loved her family fiercely as they in turn loved her.
She also had many passions–cooking, music, traveling, books. Finally, she made a profound difference in the lives of her students. Her life was good.
Eleanor Space Szaszy is survived by her children Kristina (Sean Jones) and Steven (Allison), her grandchildren Nathaniel, Nicholas, and Alexa Jones, and Gabriella, Jameson, and Kellen Szaszy, her brothers James, Christopher, and Thomas Space, her nephew Benjamin, and her cousins Virginia D’Amato (Louis) and Thomas Nichols (Cindy) and their children Annette and Jason. A Memorial Service will be held on May 12th at 2:00 p.m. in San Benancio Village, 38 Paseo de Vaqueros, Salinas, CA. 93908.
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