Eleanor Leggett Sweeney

Eleanor Leggett Sweeney, PhD, age 53, of Jerseytown, passed away on Monday evening, November 1, 2021. She was born on Sunday, June 16, 1968 in Philadelphia, a daughter of John D. Leggett and Cynthia A. (Lowe) Palmer and spent most of her life in her beloved Pennsylvania. She met her husband, John Sweeney, while she was a student at Amherst College in Massachusetts. They married on June 13, 1992 and had two amazing, compassionate, and talented children: Ian Nathaniel Sweeney and Kathryn Elizabeth Sweeney-Amidon. Her large, entertaining family on both the Leggett and Sweeney sides was the cornerstone of her life, and their joy was her joy. Eleanor enjoyed a long and varied language teaching career, including Greenwood Friends School, Danville Area School District, Upward Bound and the TRiO program at Bloomsburg University, and Pennsylvania College of Technology. She earned her MA in TESOL and her PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from The Pennsylvania State University, where she pursued research in teachers’ use of music to teach languages. Eleanor loved traveling in spite of her notoriously terrible sense of direction. Creating a thriving life at home on the farm was even more important to her, however, and she rejoiced in her dogs, cat, chickens, and gardens. Along with her academic achievements, Eleanor canned and froze produce, quilted, sewed, and wired her own house. She asks that those who knew her please eat some home made jam, play some music, and take care of each other. Survivors include her beloved husband of 29 years, John F. Sweeney; her father, John D. Leggett and wife Joan of Concord, NH; her mother, Cynthia A. Palmer and her husband Larry of Vero Beach, FL; a son, Ian N. Sweeney and wife Elizabeth Richards of North Haven, CT; a daughter, Kathryn E. Sweeney-Amidon and her husband James Amidon of New Haven, CT; two sisters, Susan C. Leggett and her husband Denny Robinson of West Simsbury, CT; Carrie W. Leggett and her husband Dave Pangburn of Arlington, MA; and a brother, John H. Leggett of Canterbury, NH; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family and friends. Private services will be held for the family, a celebration of Eleanor's life will be announced at a future date. Memorial contributions in Eleanor's name are suggested to: United Way of Columbia and Montour Counties, 36 East Main St., Bloomsburg, PA 17815 or Greenwood Friends School, 1509 PA Rte. 254, Millville, PA 17846. The Allen Funeral Home, Inc., 745 Market at Eighth Streets, Bloomsburg is honored to be serving the Sweeney family

Eleanor Leggett Sweeney

June 16, 1968 - November 1, 2021