Sr. Eleanor Gilmore, whose life was "marked by peace, courage and a joyful spirit" died July 12 in Bellevue, Wash., at age 82, according to her religious order.
Sr. Gilmore, a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace, served as a leader for her religious community and at the Washington-based PeaceHealth system. She ministered to the people of El Salvador during a civil war in the late 1980s. With Jesuit Refugee Service, she organized a sanctuary in San Salvador for country people needing to come to the capital for health care. She was twice arrested at a time when religious workers were often threatened or deported, but she remained committed to working with the people she loved, members of her religious community recalled.
She later returned to found PazSalud, the El Salvador health care mission of PeaceHealth and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. As vice president of mission for PeaceHealth she led PazSalud from 2001 to 2009, bringing medical teams to serve poor rural communities in El Salvador.
Darren Streff, PazSalud's in-country coordinator, said in a statement, "The lives she affected through her courage are innumerable. … The impact Sr. Eleanor had on El Salvador will be felt for generations. Her loss to this amazing country, to her community and to everyone she helped in between is enormous."
Born in Seattle in 1932, she was the only child of Michael and Anne Gilmore. She entered her religious community in 1955, earned a bachelor's degree at Seattle University, trained as a nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eugene, Ore., and earned a master's degree in hospital administration from Saint Louis University. She was a nurse and operating room supervisor at Sacred Heart Hospital from 1963-65. Sr. Gilmore served as administrator at St. John's Hospital in Longview, Wash., from 1967-70 and then from 1976-82.
She was elected as councilor for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace Generalate in 1970 and as province leader for the western region in 1982.
A vigil service was July 16, and her funeral Mass was July 17 at Sacred Heart Church in Bellevue, with burial at Holyrood Catholic Cemetery.
Remembrances may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace Retirement Fund or to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace for PazSalud, P.O. Box 248, Bellevue, WA 98009-0248.
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