Eleanor VANOVERBERGHE

25 APR 1934 - 9 FEB 2018

• BIRTH: 25 APR 1934, South Bend, IN
• DEATH: 9 FEB 2018, South Bend, IN

INDEX

[N20587] Eleanor DeGraff
Nee - VanOverberghe
April 25, 1934 - Feb. 9, 2018

SOUTH BEND - Surrounded by her loving children, Eleanor DeGraff, 83, of South Bend, Indiana passed away peacefully on Friday, February 9. Eleanor was the oldest daughter of Martha (Matthys) and Henry VanOverberghe. She attended Our Lady of Hungary Grade School and South Bend Catholic High School. In 1955, she married the love of her life, Robert N. “Diggie” DeGraff, and raised four children: Michael N. (Tamar) of Monroe, WA; Renee C. of Springboro, Ohio; Andrea G. of South Bend; and Marty (Julie) of Lexington, KY.
A proud, life-long resident of South Bend, Eleanor began her professional career as an Administrative Assistant at the Studebaker Car Company. Once she started a family, she became a homemaker. After her husband retired from the South Bend Fire Department, they entered the restaurant industry, owning and managing a few of downtown's staple restaurants (The Pretzel Palace, The Lunch Box, and Diggie's Hot Dogs & More) from the mid ‘70s - ‘90s. When they retired from the restaurant industry, Eleanor worked for 10 years with the great people at J.R. Fox Jewelers. Eleanor was a passionate fan of anything her husband and children were involved in. She spent endless hours in sporting environments, watching her children and grandchildren participate. She was an avid fan of Notre Dame sports and creator of beautiful, crocheted baby afghans and other items.
She is survived by her children and four grandchildren: Malchijah (Matt) Boyd of Monroe, WA; and Zachary, Maxwell, and Matthys DeGraff of Lexington, KY; her sisters, Virginia Kelly (Springfield, IL) and Mary Lou Egyhazi (South Bend); and two brothers-in-law, Richard DeGraff of Lisle, IL and William DeGraff of Woodbury, CT. Preceding Eleanor in death are her husband, Diggie her parents; and her son, Robert N. DeGraff, Jr. Eleanor's love for life, her incredible personality and wit, her laugh, and so many other attributes that made her an amazing, loving, fun-to-be-around person will be sorely missed by her children, grandchildren, extended family, and friends. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, February 15, in St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church, 2120 E. Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, with Rev. Terry Fisher officiating. Committal services and burial will follow in Cedar Grove Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 4 until 8 p.m. Wednesday, February 14 in the Welsheimer Family Funeral Home North, 17033 Cleveland Rd., where a Rosary will be prayed at 7:30. Visitation will also be in the church one hour before the Mass on Thursday.In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting memorial donations be made in Eleanor's name to the Center for Hospice Care, 501 Comfort Pl., Mishawaka, IN 46545. Family and friends may leave email condolences at www.welsheimer.com. Charitable donations may be made in Eleanor's memory to the following organization:
Center for Hospice Care,
501 Comfort Ln., Mishawaka, IN, 46545