Eleanor Marie Mcgovern

Eleanor Marie McGovern, age 89, of Benson died Thursday, November 23, 2023, at Glenwood Retirement Village in Glenwood, MN. Visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 2, 2023, at St. Francis Catholic Church in Benson, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. Burial will be in the St. Francis Catholic Cemetery. Zniewski Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. www.zniewskifuneralhome.com

To view a livestream of the funeral mass click on the link for St. Francis Catholic Church YouTube Page, www.youtube.com/@saintfrancisbensonmn2945

Eleanor was born to Katherine Marie Cowan and George Olin Urie on May 15, 1934, in Philadelphia, PA. She was the oldest of eight children. She was baptized on June 10, 1934, into the Catholic faith.  She grew up in Drexel Hill, PA and graduated high school from Notre Dame High School in 1952.

On July 14, 1956, she was united in marriage with Marion George McGovern of Philadelphia, PA. They resided in Clifton Heights, PA where Eleanor worked in the Switchgear Dept. of the General Electric Company as a draftswoman. They later moved to Vestal, NY and Raleigh, NC where Eleanor dedicated her life to raising her five children. She was a devout Catholic and deeply involved with her church, Our Lady of Lourdes. She was a Charismatic Catholic and met with a weekly prayer group. After her kids were grown Eleanor worked for Reggie Matthews Promotional Products and was active in the Senior Net group where she was the president and taught computer classes.

In 2007, George and Eleanor retired and moved to their final home in Benson, MN. Eleanor was active in the St. Francis Catholic Church assisting with the altar cloths and participating in the Rosary group. She was also an active member of the Swift County Republican party. Her life was one of unwavering faith, devotion to family and support of her country. She remained in her home in Benson until moving in 2022 to Julia’s Place in Hancock, MN and finally, Glenwood Village Retirement Center in Glenwood, MN.

Eleanor was a gentle soul but also witty and fun loving. She traveled extensively to see her children and grandchildren, of which she had twelve. She had a great love for art and over the years had many artistic hobbies from ceramics and glasswork, to painting, and later in life coloring. She was a seeker of knowledge and was always striving to be invested and involved in the world around her.

Eleanor was preceded in death by her parents George and Katherine Urie, and her husband Marion George McGovern.

Eleanor is survived by her five children: Diane Trew (John) of Benson, MN, George McGovern (Karen) of Richmond, VA, Stephen McGovern of Durham, NC, Suzanne Milam (Jack) of Rolesville, NC, Kathleen Johnson (Daniel) of Benson, MN; her twelve grandchildren: Jacob Trew, David Trew, Wesley McGovern, Blake McGovern, Garrett McGovern, Landon McGovern, Nikolas McGovern, Camden McGovern, Karson McGovern, Christopher Milam, Taylor Johnson, Courtney Johnson; and her great-grandson, Kaden Trew.

Memorials may be sent to St. Francis Catholic Church at 508 13th Street North, Benson, MN, 56215.