- Date Of Death: August 12, 2008
- State: Connecticut
Eleanore O’Neill TognalliNORTH CANAAN — Eleanore Cecilia (O’Neill) Tognalli, 86, of Ashley Falls Road, North Canaan, died Tuesday, August 12, at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital with her son, Michael, at her side. She was the widow of Reno J. “Speed” in Lakeville, the daughter of the late Edward and Sarah Bonner (Crampsey) O’Neill, she was blessed to be born into a large Irish-American family. She was a passionate promoter of her Irish heritage and maintained a deep sense of pride in Ireland and its Gaelic traditions. She worked at Sikorsky Aircraft in Bridgeport during World War II, where she met her hero, American aviator Charles A. Lindbergh, when he toured the factory in support of the company�s wartime efforts. After the war, she worked for twenty-five years at General Electric Company in Norfolk and ten years at Becton-Dickinson in Canaan.A high school basketball player, Eleanore remained a dedicated sports fan her entire life. She cheered the victories of Arnold Palmer throughout his golfing career and always considered the Boston Red Sox and Miami Dolphins as ‘her’ teams. But her greatest passion was reading. Eleanore spent untold hours with her favorite authors, often reading late into the night. Her love of nature was reflected in a backyard transformed each winter into a sanctuary for what to amazed visitors appeared to be every bird in Northwest Connecticut. Her very best friends were the many dogs and cats she welcomed into her life over the years.Eleanore was an attentive observer of politics and world affairs. An early and ardent supporter of Ronald Reagan, one of her biggest political thrills came when she, her husband, and son, at the time a White House staff member, attended a White House Christmas party hosted by President and Mrs. Reagan.Survived by a son, Michael O. (Tag) Tognalli of North Canaan and a sister, Ruth Knight of Colchester, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, Eleanore was predeceased by: her husband, Reno J.(Speed) Togninalli; two brothers, Edward O’Neill Jr. of New York City and Francis O’Neill of Winsted; and six sisters, Ann O’Neill of Harwinton, Pegi (Kathryn) Berenson of Harwinton, Lillian Larkin of Sharon, Mary Baker of Chesterfield, Missouri, Sarah (Kristine) Corcoran of North Canaan, and Rita Renkl of Torrington.
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