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LUECKER -- L. Eleanor ("Johnnie"), 79, died in Albuquerque on November 5, 2004. She was widely known as a: loving wife, mother, grandmother; faithful friend, counselor, and confidante; skilled and compassionate healthcare professional, community services volunteer, devoted church member, world peace activist, and interfaith advocate; widely traveled and sometime resident abroad, and a respected representative and interpreter of American culture and values to foreign societies, and vice versa. Johnnie, a native of Warren, Pennsylvania, joined the Cadet Nurse Corps of World War II and pursued a career in a wide variety of nursing specialties. The challenges of Emergency Room nursing most appealed to her. Joining her husband George, living in a series of foreign posts, she welcomed the challenges of establishing households for her family in unfamiliar locations such as Beirut, Athens, Karachi, Tunis, Montreal, Qatar, and New Delhi. In each place she took special joy in discovering the various aspects of local culture through her friendly relations with its people, establishing livelong multicultural friendships wherever she lived. Living far from extended family in the United States, she fashioned for her immediate family a life both cohesive and welcoming of others whom were informally adopted as additional family members - relations which endure to this day. In addition, while living in Greece she and her husband formally adopted two Greek infants. When she retired with her husband to Albuquerque in 1980, she met senior citizens whose strength and courage inspired her to become a similar example to others. A retired nurse, she quickly found a variety of volunteer service opportunities in departments of Presbyterian Hospital; as an officer in its Auxiliary; in its Cancer Screening Hospice, and Chaplaincy support campaigns; as a leader in the Cancer Society's Quit Smoking program; as a driver for Meals on Wheels; and as a traveler's aide at the airport information desk. She became the 1st volunteer named by Presbyterian to serve the United Way Annual Campaign as a Loaned Executive. She expressed her religious faith as a worshipper and active member in the programs of St. John's United Methodist Church and as its representative to the New Mexico Conference of Churches. Drawing on her experiences living in a variety of foreign nations, she designed and conducted a 13-week seminar on The Holy Land Today, participated in numerous national and local public and media events regarding the Middle East, and was a founding member of the New Mexico Arab-Jewish Dialogue Group. In retirement she traveled extensively in the United States and abroad, re-visiting and assisting friends, her children, and other family members. She pursued a lively interest in health matters, participating in educational presentations and for years as a volunteer test subject for innumerable senior health research projects at the UNM, VA, and United Blood Services centers. As the form of Parkinson's Disease with which she suffered impaired more of her abilities, she nevertheless remained firmly focused in the riches of her life and the blessings which God continued to provide. From a former extremely active giver to others, she made the transition to entire dependence on others for her care with such patience, dignity, and forbearance as to unequivocally become an example to all who knew her. She is survived by her husband of 52 years, George Luecker; their sons Aubin, Gary, and Andrew Luecker and their families (including 3 grandchildren); their daughter Wendy Thomas and her husband; and numerous other family members and friends, all of whom will miss her greatly. Following cremation, there will be a memorial service at St. John's United Methodist Church, 2626 Arizona St. NE, on Thursday, November 11, 2004 at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any contributions be made to the American Parkinson's Disease Association, New Mexico Chapter, 10817 Griffith Park Dr. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87123,or to another charitable organization of your choosing. French Mortuary 7121 Wyoming Blvd. NE 823-9400
Left-red    Print Obit   Email-red   Published on: Wed November 10, 2004