Elinor W. Ranck

Elinor Frances Warren Ranck was born in May of 1925 in Queens, New York and passed away peacefully on September 23, 2025, in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. She was the only child of Frances Haman Warren and Colonel Otey Yancey Warren and grew up in New York City and Connecticut. From a young age, she attended boarding school and summer camp, and those classmates, teachers and counselors became her second family. Following graduation from The Daycroft School, she attended Finch College in NYC.

Elinor was a renaissance woman: she raised and showed cocker spaniels, including a national champion; she was an accomplished fine artist, specializing in portraits of dogs and humans; and she was an opera singer, making her debut at Carnegie Recital Hall. Her family moved to Delaware in the early 1950s, and it was there that she met the love of her life, Clayton Ranck, on a blind date; it was love at first sight.  They married in 1955 and became parents to Sandy and Tucker in 1957 and 1959, respectively. Elinor’s heart broke in 1979 when Clayton died of cancer at age 62. A widow at age 54, she was the model of a strong woman as she taught her children about tenacity and hard work in the face of adversity.  She always stressed showing kindness to those around her, whether it was taking a meal to a sick friend or supporting those less fortunate. She lived by example.  Following Clayton’s death, she worked at The Enchanted Owl in Greenville, Delaware for many years and found a supportive and loving group of new friends there.

She moved to Maris Grove in 2007. There, she forged lasting friendships, enjoyed new experiences, and got to know every dog (and its owner) on the campus. She was commissioned to paint portraits of many of those pups, and her works of art were frequently featured in the community’s art shows, to much acclaim.

Elinor is survived by her two devoted children, Alexandra “Sandy” Warren Ranck King (Fletcher) and Clayton “Tucker” Warren Ranck, and her two her beloved granddaughters, Hillary Warren King Hinkson (Andrew) and Whitney Atwater King (Gary Diegert). She cherished her many years spent watching her granddaughters as infants and toddlers, then after school and over the summers.  They loved attending “Camp Mommom” where she taught them the fundamentals of fine art and sewing, took them on exciting adventures, and made every day fun and meaningful. She never missed a concert or a game or a grandparents’ day.  She passed along to her children and grandchildren a deep love of music, from Luciano Pavarotti, to Cat Stevens, to John Denver, to The Grateful Dead.

She taught all of us to welcome people into our homes and treat them to a delicious meal and inclusive conversation. She gave us an appreciation for art and taught us that the love of a pet was one of the greatest gifts in life. She showed us compassion, honesty, love, how to make the greatest buttermilk pancakes, how to set a perfect table, how to write thank-you notes, and to always reach out to anyone who was hurting.

In May of this year, she celebrated her 100^th birthday, surrounded by her adoring family, a special lunch of her favorite foods, a lemon birthday cake, and the reading of cards received from dozens of friends and family.  It was a day we will always cherish.

We are grateful for the grace she showed us during the difficult times, such as losing her husband at such a young age and beating late-stage ovarian cancer in her seventies, and during exciting times like the welcoming of new in-laws into our family. She loved her family passionately and would do anything for us.  We were lucky, indeed!

A celebration of her life will take place on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 2:00 PM at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1502 W 13^th St, Wilmington, Delaware 19806.  In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Faithful Friends (https://faithfulfriends.us), the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org), or to Friendship House (www.friendshiphousede.org).