Dorothy “Eleanor” McGovern

Eleanor passed away peacefully from congestive heart failure on March 17, 2016 (St Patrick’s Day) at Plush Mills Senior Living, Wallingford, PA.She was born and raised in New York City by Hungarian immigrants, Julius Knapik and Theresa Drunek. She moved to Jersey City, N.J. to attend nursing school at St. Francis Hospital and graduated in 1948 with her RN. It was in Jersey City that she met her beloved husband Edward F. McGovern. They were married for 66 years when he passed last year. She had one younger sister, Olga Burnett, who passed away in 2000.Eleanor and Edward McGovern raised their 2 children, Patrice Guild (Gregory M Guild) and Kevin McGovern (Denise McHenry), in Ramsey, NJ, before retiring to Jackson, NJ. Eleanor worked at numerous nursing jobs throughout her life including Visiting Nurses of Ramsey and the Bergen County Blood Bank.She has 5 grandchildren, Timothy Guild (Kelly Jensen), Carissa Guild, Amelia Wilson (John Wilson), Keith McGovern (Samantha Weiner), Sean McGovern, and 3 great-grandchildren, Hailey Guild, Ryan Guild and Lucas Wilson. The grandchildren and great-grandchildren were the light of her life.She loved nursing, bringing her family to the New York theater scene and traveling far and wide with her husband. After retiring she loved her new community in Jackson and singing in the chorus. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Muriel (Veronica) McGovern of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ.There will be a viewing and service at D’Anjolell-Barone Memorial Home, 908 S. Providence Rd, Wallingford, on Friday, March 25 at 6 PM.Interment will be on Saturday, March 26, at Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington, NJ. In lieu of flowers please send donations to www.doctorswithoutborders.org/Donate in honor of the lifesaving work her grand-daughter, Carissa Guild, has done helping others throughout the world, of which Eleanor and Edward McGovern were so proud.