Obituary of Elinor Marie Reifschneider

Elinor Marie Reifschneider passed away Feb 16th in Scottsdale, AZ. She came into this world on January 21, 1931, in Shields, KS and she grew up in a neighboring town, Dighton. She attended Kansas University for two years and then came home to marry her devoted husband of 70 years, Boyd. They started their family of four children in Dighton until 1962 when they picked up the family and moved to Scottsdale, AZ.

Elinor finished her degree in education at Arizona State University and had over a 30+ year teaching career in the Scottsdale Unified School District. She even found time to get her Master's from the University of Ottowa. Teaching was such a big part of her life that sometimes a science project could be found in her refrigerator or silkworms could be found in a kitchen drawer.

 Elinor was a 60-year member of Epsilon Sigma Alpha sorority where she played a very active role throughout her life doing philanthropic works like delivering meals on wheels to seniors.

Elinor was conflicted… about her favorite sports team. She was loyal to her Jayhawks but the Sun Devils were her favorite. In her free time, she enjoyed gardening, camping, music, square dancing with Boyd, reptiles, and reading novels.  

In her retirement, she would have monthly lunches with her friends or her group of retired teachers, loved her dogs, and enjoyed her annual trip to San Diego.

Elinor is proceeded in death by her husband Boyd, her eldest son Greg and her two brothers.

She is survived by children Carmen, Connie Jo (Jerry), Cathy (Tom) and Galen (Claudine), grandchildren Tom, Patricia, Melissa (Daniel), Michael & Mitchell. Great-grandchildren Nadia, Cooper, Natasha & Daniel, sister-in-law, many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Graveside services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on March 12, 2022, in the Dighton Cemetery in Dighton, Kansas.