Elinor Day

Elinor Day passed away on December 10, 2020. Her obituary was published in The Gazette on Dec. 20, 2020. Please join the family and friends of Elinor to share fond memories and good humor, in honor of a woman who touched our lives and lives on in our hearts. The celebration will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, at Zeppelin's, 5300 Edgewood Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids. Mom was warm and welcoming and always a gracious host -- we'd like to do the same. All who wish to join us are welcome to attend. She is survived by her son, James (Janice) and grandchildren, Owen, Grace and James; son, Jon (Joy) and grandchildren, Kenyon and Brennan; son, Tom (Laurel) and grandchildren, Jane and Kate; and daughter, Ann (Jeff) and grandchild, Andrew. She also is survived by sister, Thama and Thama's children, Jeff and Nancy. Elinor Kanaske was one of two girls raised in Chicago. Her father, Arthur Kanaske, was an advertising executive, and her mother, Elinor Colby, was head buyer for Carson Pirie Scott'the Marshall Field rival. She went to Coe College, which at the time was the only liberal arts college she could find with a journalism major. After graduation in 1949, she went to work as a reporter for The Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette, eventually marrying James H. Day, (Sr.) who had returned to Coe after military service. She found herself raising three boys'and finally a girl'who were hell on wheels, Lord of the Flies with a refrigerator. Our father was an only child, mom one of two girls. Together, they didn't stand a chance. Yet, she was able to channel the kid-energy into a combination of athletics and constructive curiosity which kept us, so far, out of the criminal justice system. In the late '60s, because the family needed her to, she went back to school at the University of Iowa to earn a Master's degree in journalism. She often joked about being the only student in her program with white hair. She became chief communications officer for the Cedar Rapids Public Schools and subsequently directed the communications programs for two different Cedar Rapids-based insurance companies and Mt. Mercy College. At two intervals she started and ran her own PR consulting firm, the last time after turning 70, and was the co-founder and first president of the Cedar Valley Chapter of the PRSA (Public Relations Society of America). Somehow, she made time to write and/or edit five books. In the community, as library board member, she helped win private and public bond approval of a new public library after five public bond issues had failed previously. She was also active with The Catherine McAuley Center and the United Way of Linn County. She also served on advisory boards for Discovery Living and the regional Salvation Army. Elinor was honored to receive the Alumni Award of Merit from Coe College in 1999, and was especially gratified to hear, years later, from men and women with whom she had worked in communications and higher education who considered her a career role model and a mentor. To these many former colleagues, Elinor was a pioneer, but not so in her own family. Every adult woman in our family worked professionally outside the home, including both grandmothers. To us she was just busy being Mom. For all of her professional and community service accomplishments, she was every bit as committed to her family, home, and friends. She made everyone feel welcome. She exuded love and caring. We'll miss her exactitude with the English language and the grammatical 'help' she willingly volunteered when we were kids . . . and later too. Though we wish that skill for composition had extended to cooking, to be fair we ate most of the food she brought home before it made it to the refrigerator, which resulted in major energy savings before that was even a thing. Seriously, Mom always expected that you'd do well. She was a good leader, thoughtful mentor and especially, a great mom who loved us unconditionally. We love you, Mom. Memorials are suggested to the arbor restoration campaign for the campus of Coe College, or to a community non-profit of your choice. Donations to Coe College may be made on-line at Coe College or through the mail in honor of Elinor.