Eleanor Hobbs Jenks, 78, passed away on June 19, 2025, at the Residence at Quarry Hill Reflections Unit in South Burlington, Vt., following a brief illness.
For those who knew Eleanor well, the fact that she passed over on Juneteenth was very much in line with her beliefs. She was a ferocious advocate and supporter of creating inclusive environments for those who were misrepresented and under appreciated.
Eleanor was born in Rhinebeck, N.Y., to the late William R. Hobbs and Ethel Kane Hobbs.
At the age of 10, her family moved to Burlington, Vt., where she enjoyed an idyllic childhood on Hoover Street.
Eleanor graduated from Burlington High School in 1965 and from the University of Vermont as an Alpha Delta Pi sorority sister. Her education did not stop there, and she obtained multiple master’s degrees over her lifetime in education and administration, with a focus on enhancing the lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.
In the ’70s, Eleanor was a teacher at the Maryland School for the Deaf on the Columbia campus after having received her master of education degree, with a concentration in education of the deaf, from Western Maryland College.
In 1980, she received a master of arts degree from California State University at Northridge, with a focus on severe-to-profound multi-handicapped deaf students and their education throughout the U.S.
Later, Eleanor worked for the State of Maryland, certifying and accrediting nonpublic facilities, and in 2009 she received an award for her tireless efforts:
“Eleanor Kopchick is the recipient of the 2009 Maryland Association of Nonpublic Special Education Facilities (MANSEF) Distinguished Citizen Award. This award is presented annually to a person or organization who has demonstrated vision, leadership for the highest quality of life for Maryland’s special needs children, and recognition that these children can best be served by a continuum of services. Eleanor was recognized for her long-standing commitment and dedication to ensuring that the children served by the MANSEF schools receive the highest quality programming and care.”
Well done, Eleanor, well done…
Eleanor was predeceased by her husband and love of her life, Duncan Loman Jenks, in 2011.
Together they loved, laughed, and enjoyed the culture and the arts that made up their city of Baltimore, a city they shared for many years together.
Although we are greatly saddened by her passing, not one of us would deny her being reunited with her Dunc. They will be attending a private, ethereal Neil Diamond concert as soon as she can get Duncan off the seventh green at the Pearly Gates National Golf Course!!!
Eleanor moved back to Burlington after Duncan’s passing, to be closer to family. Although she was always missing the opportunities to attend cultural events like the ones found in Baltimore, she settled in and found happiness in visiting with family and friends, shopping, yoga, and walking, walking, walking.
She logged many miles and shared many wonderful hours with her good friend Bruce.
Eleanor is survived by her five siblings and their spouses and families: Sandra and Larry DeShaw of Colchester, Vt., and Bonita Springs, Fla., and their sons, Justin DeShaw and his wife, Kirstin, of Providence, R.I., and their children, Lexi, Wade and Becket, and Jerrod DeShaw and his wife, Sarah, of Burlington, Vt., and their children, Brooks, Fields and Webb; James Hobbs (Sherrie Lee, deceased) of South Burlington, Vt., and his son, Joshuah; John Hobbs and his wife, Kim, of Westboro, Mass., and their daughter, Ashley Hobbs, her fiancé, Keith DaCosta, and their daughter, Addison, of New Bedford, Mass.; Mary Goldberg and her husband, Ron, of South Burlington, Vt., and their children and their families, Tad Goldberg (deceased), Kyle Goldberg and his wife, Tiffany, of South Burlington, Vt., and their children, Kennedy, Peyton and Ari, and Sarah Goldberg-Treger and her husband, Aaron, of Pinole, Calif., and their children, Summit and Owen and Leah Goldberg, of Richmond, Vt.; and Lisa Hobbs and her wife, Chris Gordon, of South Burlington, Vt.
Eleanor adored animals and her nieces and nephews. She found great pleasure in being a part of their lives.
She held a special bond with her great nephew Becket, and they could often be found playing miniature golf, sharing ice cream or a Starbucks drink, and discussing theories of “what makes the world tick!”
The family would like to thank all the staff and family at the Residence at Quarry Hill, as well as BAYADA Hospice Care.
We are eternally grateful for the compassion, patience and respect that you all showed Eleanor throughout her time there and on her final journey.
As per Eleanor’s wishes, a private graveside service will be held for immediate family.
For those who would like to remember Eleanor and celebrate her spirit of giving, in lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate to any of her three favorite causes: the Humane Society of Chittenden County, the American Diabetes Association and Smile Train (smiletrain.org).
Arrangements are in the care of Ready Funeral & Cremation Services. To send online condolences, please visit readyfuneral.com.
This article appears in The Food Issue 2025.