Eleanor C. Pizanis

Eleanor C. Pizanis, age 82, of Abingdon, Maryland, passed away peacefully on September 10, 2024, at Shining Moon in Towson, Maryland with her son and daughter-in-law by her side. Born in Maryland, she was the beloved daughter of the late Charles and Catherine (Rubeling) Rutkowski and the devoted wife of the late John Pizanis.

Eleanor was a devout Catholic and long-standing member of St. Margaret Catholic Church in Bel Air, MD. If it was not a Sunday and you were looking for her at home, you always had to check the yard first. She was an avid gardener - - if she wasn’t manicuring the lawn, she was working in one of her gardens. If you were unable to find her in the yard, all you had to do was check the couch. Known for her longtime love of reading, she would often be found immersed in a book – she was a voracious reader. If she was not gardening or reading, she was working on a jigsaw puzzle or figuring out the games on her iPad. While she enjoyed all these activities, she absolutely hated to cook! A fact she made crystal clear to John before they married so many years ago. They, after nearly 60 years of marriage, cherished their weekly tradition of dining at Box Hill Pizzeria on Mondays and enjoying breakfast at Greek Village each weekend. We cannot pass either business without thinking of the two of them, together as they were and are again now, having their weekly meals. Cross your fingers there is carryout in heaven.

As any mother would, she particularly enjoyed the Saturday morning tradition of her sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and great-grandson visiting. Sometimes it got a little crowded, but it was absolutely wonderful! Good times were had by all, and Saturdays will simply not be the same. 

Eleanor is survived by her loving sons, Michael (Brenda) Pizanis and Nicholas (Cindy) Pizanis; cherished grandchildren, Angela, Dimitris, and Amylia Pizanis; and her precious great-grandson, Alexander Pluhar. She will also be dearly missed by her many brothers and sisters: Charles (“Mickey”) Rutkowski, Patricia (“Patsy”) Grannas, Catherine (“Cathy”) Owsianiecki, Timothy (“Timmy”) Rutkowski, Mary Houck, Michael (“Mike”) Rutkowski, David (“Dave”) Rutkowski, Anthony (“Tony”) Rutkowski and James Rutkowski.

Sadly, in addition to her parents and adored husband-John, all of whom she dearly missed, Eleanor was preceded in death by her beloved grandson, Andrew Pizanis.

In lieu of flowers, it would be appreciated if contributions in her memory were made to Alzheimer’s Association, 502 Washington Avenue, Suite 300, Towson, MD 21204-4539.