Eleanor Ruth (Schmidt) Arden, 90, Salem, NH died peacefully, after a long illness, on January 10 ^th .

Born on March 11, 1929 in Poland, she grew up in Eastern Europe during a turbulent time. She was the first of her immediate family to move to the US in 1952. She was always grateful to the family who sponsored her so that she was able to immigrate. That generosity shaped her adulthood and she always sought to give and to help others whenever she could.

While working as a nanny and mother's helper in New York, she was introduced to a lovely young man, Frederic who became the love of her life. They married and eventually settled in NJ. Eleanor worked in furniture sales in NYC and later in real estate. Fred and Eleanor raised their two sons in NJ, IL, MA and NH. She was actively involved with the Salem High School band parents and the school library when her sons were in school. Eleanor loved gardening, poetry and writing. The neighborhood kids called her Mrs. Garden. She loved being creative and crafty. She made countless friends wherever she was and she had a talent for making everyone feel special.

Eleanor was predeceased by her beloved husband, Frederic Arden, her parents, Hugo and Wanda (Jankowski) Schmidt and her brother, Waldemar Schmidt.

She is survived by her children, Ron and Janet Arden of Salem, NH and Scott Arden and Sue Brish of Tucson, AZ and her grandchildren, Blaise, Ariana, Joshua and Miriam Arden.

Visitation will be on Tuesday, January 14 ^th from 10:00 AM – 11:00AM at Douglas & Johnson Funeral Home, 214 Main St., Salem, NH. The Funeral Service will follow at 11:00 AM at Douglas & Johnson Funeral Home. Burial is in Temple Emanuel Cemetery, 202 Mt. Vernon St. Lawrence, MA.

The family will be sitting shiva on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 14 ^th and 15 ^th , 4:00 to 8:00 PM at the residence of Ron and Janet Arden.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Eleanor's name may be made to: Women for Women International, www.womenforwomen.org or World Vision, www.worldvision.org .