Eleanor M. McDonald, 71, longtime resident of White Plains, NY entered into eternal life surrounded by her family, on Saturday, June 12, 2010 after a brief illness. She was born in Bronx, NY on January 7, 1939 to the late Patrick McDonald and Bridget "Bridie" Burke. She settled in White Plains in the late-1950s, and went on to graduate from Pace University and The New School-Graduate School of Management. Eleanor started her Government career in 1963, working in many capacities until in 1988 she was appointed as the first woman Comptroller of the Town of Greenburgh and in 1992, she also became the first woman Comptroller of the Town of Harrison. During her tenure at Greenburgh she was elected President of the local 860 of the CSEA. Since Eleanor's retirement in 2002, she had been involved as Treasurer of the Woman's Club of White Plains, Treasurer of the College Club of White Plains and Co-President and Treasurer of the OLS Seniors. She was the White Plains Leader of the Conservative Party and a member of the Budget Committee for the City of White Plains. Eleanor was always doing for others. Her generous spirit led to many philanthropic efforts including the White Plains Open Arms Shelter, Grace Church Ecumenical Food Pantry, the Lord's Pantry Food Patch, organizer of the ;(function() { var adKeyValue = 't='; adKeyValue+= escape('clio=ADA'); adKeyValue += escape('&cobrand=lohud'); adKeyValue += escape('&linktext=American Diabetes Association'); adKeyValue += escape('&linkurl=https://donations.diabetes.org/site/Donation2?df_id=4362&4362.donation=form1&s_src=legacy&s_subsrc=obit&set.TributeFirstName=ELEANOR&set.TributeLastName=MCDONALD'); adKeyValue += escape('&fn=ELEANOR'); adKeyValue += escape('&ln=MCDONALD'); var adClkUrl = 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?iu=/423686928/prod/obit-aff/obit-standard/clio-inline-1&' + adKeyValue + '&sz=1x1&c=95814927'; var adImpUrl = 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ad?iu=/423686928/prod/obit-aff/obit-standard/clio-inline-1&' + adKeyValue + '&sz=1x1&c=95814927'; document.write("<a href='" + adClkUrl + "' target=_blank>American Diabetes Association<" + 'img' + " src='" + adImpUrl + "' style='width=1px; height=1px; display:inline;' /></a>"); }()); Walk, Coalition for the Homeless and the Midnight Run. Eleanor was a devote Catholic and had been a parishioner of Our Lady of Sorrows Church for over 30 years, serving on the Parish Council. She was an outspoken advocate for Right to Life. Eleanor was a very proud Irish-American making many trips "home." We honor her for her work as Founder and President of the Great Hunger Foundation, and being instrumental in bringing about the Great Hunger Famine Memorial of 19th century Ireland. She enacted the MacBride Principles for Westchester County Legislature. Eleanor served on the State Board of the LAOH as Chair of Catholic Action, she also held many offices, including President, of the LAOH Tarrytown Division. Eleanor was one of the proud founders of the American Irish Association of Westchester and Chair of the Westchester Irish Committee. She was responsible for the designation of March as Irish History and Heritage Month in Westchester County. Her family and friends all cheered her on when she was selected as Grand Marshal of the 2001 White Plains St. Patrick's Day Parade. Eleanor is survived by her beloved sister, Patricia of White Plains, her brother, Joseph of Port Jervis, NY and her sister-in-law, Ruth of Greenville, RI. She was predeceased by her brother, Brian. She is also survived by her niece, Michele, her husband, Darren and their children Casey, Connor and Cameron and her niece, Suzanne, her husband, Phil and their children, Lucas, Brady and Liam all of Greenville, RI and many cousins and friends. More than anything, Eleanor found joy in spending time with the children. Her family loved her so much and will miss her presence every day. We know she will be watching over us forever. Mass of Celebration will be held at Our Lady of Sorrows Church on Tuesday, June 15 at 11AM followed by interment at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Valhalla, NY. Wake will be private. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Lung Association, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC, 20004 or the USO, PO Box 96322,Washington, DC, 20090. MCMAHON, LYON & HARTNETT FUNERAL HOME 491 Mamaroneck Ave. White Plains, NY (914) 949-7777