Elinore Chechak, 81, formerly of New York, NY, passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 30 at UVA Hospital while in residence at Rosewood Village in Charlottesville, VA.

She is survived by her children, Erik (Kathryn) and Shana (Fritz); her grandchildren, Liam, Anya, Jacob and Lillian; her siblings Joe (Becky), Paul (Stella), Jean (Terry), Lawrence (Dori), and Peter (Jeannie); sister-in-law Pat; and a large and loving extended family across the United States and Canada.

Elinore was born on June 17, 1943 in Rochester, NY to J. John Chechak and Mary Callan Chechak and was raised in Irondequoit and Brockport, NY with a love of learning, music and dance.

The third oldest of eight siblings, Elinore’s early years in Irondequoit were fun and boisterous, with eight cousins across the street and her best childhood friend a few houses away. Later, the family moved to Brockport into a large brick farmhouse with no electricity or indoor plumbing. Her father modernized the house himself while teaching all eight children the basics of carpentry, electricity and plumbing. Elinore was handy with repairs throughout her life, building herself an apartment-sized workshop in NYC, and still fixing things and climbing ladders well into her 70’s.

Elinore loved ballet from an early age. A classically-trained ballerina, she opened her own ballet studio at age 16. She performed in many leading roles in the Nutcracker, Coppelia, Swan Lake, and Spartacus. An accomplished seamstress, Elinore both designed and sewed ballet costumes and tutus, often with her own patterns. She also sewed many of her own more stylish clothes, including her wedding dress.

As a young woman, Elinore worked as a bank teller in upstate New York and New York City. This work allowed her to purchase her beloved 1967 Camaro convertible. Years later, she gave the car to her son, Erik, who still owns it today. During her final year in Michigan, the mother-son duo were sometimes spotted riding around town in the convertible, top-down enjoying the sun and wind.

Elinore loved to travel and had the opportunity to briefly live in Guatemala and Costa Rica in early adulthood. She traveled cross-country twice with her children, with one trip traversing 35 states over three months in her “Little House on the Road”- a 1970’s conversion van complete with blue-shag carpet. During these travels, she fell in love with Breckenridge, Colorado and returned for summers and winter skiing many years in a row. She loved sailing in her Sunfish and riding mountain trails on her motorbike. Later in life, Elinore visited the polar bears in Manitoba, Canada; traveled cross-country again by train; and took two extended trips to Russia where she attended performances by the Kirov Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet.

From 1982 to 2024, Elinore lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and loved New York City. She frequented Central and Riverside Parks, Broadway shows and the ballet at Lincoln Center and City Center, and worked at the Joffrey Ballet School and ASCAP, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. She volunteered with the Auxiliary Police and the USO, dedicating many hours to revamping their ticket distribution program, fixing costumes for the USO’s Show Troupe and repairing donated gowns for the USO’s military ball program.

An avid Yankees fan, Elinore attended games as often as possible at Yankee Stadium, cheering her team and especially Derek Jeter. She was delighted her Yankees reached the 2024 World Series and was still cheering them on in her final days.

In 2018, Elinore was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. Determined as ever, she battled cancer with the world-class care of Memorial Sloan Kettering. She spent her last five years in remission and was incredibly fortunate to be cancer-free at the end of her life.

However the years and treatments did take their toll, and Elinore, who could once elegantly twirl on her toes, lost her balance. A series of falls forced her to leave her beloved New York for assisted living in Michigan and more recently to Virginia.

Before taking her final bow, Elinore’s last days were spent with family at her side, listening to her favorite ballet music.

Intense and determined, Elinore loved her children and grandchildren fiercely.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift in memory of Elinore to the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City.

The family would like to thank the staff at New York Foundation in NYC, Vineyard Assisted Living in Kalamazoo, Michigan and Rosewood Village and UVA Hospital MICU in Charlottesville, VA, who cared for Elinore with compassion, respect and love.

For more on services and to share your condolences, visit Hill and Wood Funeral Service.