Eleanor Curtis Obituary 1942- 2020

"Nothing I can leave you will ever equal the love and caring I feel for you now and hold in my spirit forever." Eleanor Curtis

Eleanor Curtis, age 77, passed away Tuesday, March 24, 2020 in Panama City, Beach, Florida.
Eleanor was born in Dothan, Alabama and grew up in Chipley, Florida. She was the daughter of Charles and Florine Curtis and big sister to Anne Terry and Lynn Koehnemann. Eleanor is survived by her sisters, three nieces, Elisabeth Shepard, Ellie Terry and Kristen Koehnemann and a nephew, Ted Terry.

Eleanor relocated, as a newlywed, to the Biltmore Beach area of Panama City Beach in the 1960s. She (then Ms. Taylor) began teaching art at Jinks Middle School and later designed the art room for the soon-to-be-built Mosley High School. She taught art there for a number of years. In 1981 she was awarded a Fulbright Grant to study art in India. This proved to be a great adventure and provided a treasure trove of memories and stories as well as many unique art objects which subsequently adorned her home. She also taught Art History at Gulf Coast College.

The stories of her generosity and creativity are epic. They include sewing two ten-piece wardrobes from fabric remnants for her sisters in ony a few days, building a 20 foot high dinosaur with play tunnel for a niece's birthday party, creating astonishing and beautiful Halloween costumes, snorkeling for scallops off of Shell Island then boating home to cook and serve them - all in one morning, Eleanor cherished growing heirloom plants in her backyard on St. Andrews Bay. Her loved ones benefited from this passion with sweet summer strawberries and rare native lilies.

After many years teaching, Eleanor began working for the resort real estate industry in Panama City Beach. Her work took her all over the United States,as well as to Japan, Hong Kong, Europe and the Middle East.

Eleanor's most memorable qualities, everyone would agree, were energy, creativity and generosity. She mentored and encouraged many, many friends throughout her life, saying, "I loved life and I always tried to help people."

A memorial service will be announced at a later date. Her ashes will be buried in Chipley, Florida.