Eleanor Dian Norris Geary

Born on July 14, 1935 in Washington, DC to Champion Hayes Norris and Theodocia Grace Sampson, Eleanor Dian was the youngest of three and the only girl. She graduated from Dunbar High School in 1953 and attended Rockford College majoring in Social Psychology and graduating in 1957. She met a very handsome Army ROTC student at Dunbar, Nathaniel Geary, who would make her his bride on January 2, 1959. They both worked for the US Government in Massachusetts as they began their life together. Over the years, they lived in Seattle, WA, Detroit, MI and made their way back to their hometown of Washington, DC. They had 3 beautiful children Christopher, Vivian and Stephen. She used to say her children were the best thing she ever did in her life. Her parents instilled in her a strong work ethic from a young age. During her 48 years of civil service she first worked in International Education Relations; then the Social Security Administration rising to the rank of assistant district manager of the H St. Office in DC; and rounding out her career in the US Dept. of Justice in the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, where she rose to be the Deputy Director of the Office reporting to the Attorney General of the United States, Janet Reno. During her years at the Social Security Administration, she volunteered in a leadership capacity for the AFGE, American Federation of Government Employees representing almost 3,000 employees serving as President from 1969 - 1972. She had a lifelong love of music and dance. As a teen, she was a ballerina en pointe. She always had a passion for children's rights and safety. For 15 years, she volunteered her time with The Good Knights campaign, teaching children how to protect themselves from abduction, abuse and other dangers. She was a member of The Burning Bush Church in Baltimore, MD for many years. In 2007, she came to be a blessing to the congregation at Faith Temple Christian Center in Rockledge, FL. Eleanor had a brief illness and peacefully fell asleep at 6:00a on November 1, 2017 watching TBN—as was her nightly routine—at Cornerstone Hospice inside of Orlando Regional Medical Center. Eleanor was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers (Champion Hayes Jr., Kenneth (Theresa)), husband, Nathaniel and son, Christopher. Eleanor leaves daughter Vivian of Orlando, FL; son, Stephen (Debra) of Akron OH; daughters-in-law, Patricia, Joy, Kristin; grandchildren, Matthew, Nathaniel, Stephen, Elana, Imani, Mason, Christian, and Katie; great granddaughter, Violet; sisters-in-law, Lois (Chester) Tyler of Milwaukee, WI and Inez (James) Platt of White Plains, MD, Aunt Lucille Dawson of Washington, DC, nieces, Consuela, Eraina and Caren; nephew, Theodore Wallace, Kenneth Jacques; great nieces, Tanarra, LaToya, Monica and Krystan; great nephews, Jared, Kenneth and Kamal; cousins Yvonne Williams, Shellee Haynesworth and Jelani Scott. She is also survived by a host of extended family, neighbors and very dear friends. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Faith Temple Christian Center in Eleanor's honor. Faith Temple Christian Center 836 Ferndale Avenue, Rockledge, FL 32955.

Eleanor Dian Norris Geary

July 14, 1935 - November 1, 2017