Remembering the recently deceased in the Archdiocese of Seattle.


Sister ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Eleanor Horneman, OSF

ASTON, Pa. – Franciscan Sister ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Eleanor Horneman (formerly Sister John Magdalen) died at Assisi House on March 14, 2024. She was 96.

She was a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 75 years, ministering primarily in education and pastoral services. In the Archdiocese of Seattle, she taught at St. Leo High School in Tacoma.

Sister Eleanor was born Jan. 28, 1928, in Baltimore, Maryland, where she graduated from Seton High School. She entered the congregation in 1946 and professed her first vows in 1949. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Villanova University and a master’s degree in English from Gonzaga University.

Her early teaching career also included Sacred Heart Academy in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and Blessed Sacrament School in Trenton, New Jersey.

She ministered for 34 years in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. She was a high school teacher, provincial at St. Anthony Convent for eight years and for 14 years served as coordinator of the Western Region Planning Project and as chairwoman of Renew the Vision for the archdiocese.

During her 19 years in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Sister Eleanor served in congregational leadership for four years at Our Lady of Angels Convent in Aston. She was chair of human resources at Neumann University for six years and for eight years volunteered at Assisi House, her congregation’s retirement residence. In 2023, she moved to Assisi House, where she served in prayer and hospitality ministry until her death.

Sister Eleanor is survived by her nieces and nephews and her Franciscan family.

A Christian wake service will be held at 9:30 a.m. March 22, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m., both at Assisi House. Services will be livestreamed. Burial will be in Our Lady of Angels Cemetery in Aston. 

Memorial donations can be made to the Sisters of St. Francis Foundation, 609 S. Convent Road, Aston, PA 19014.

As a free service to the Catholic community, Northwest Catholic posts online the obituaries of Catholics whose funerals are held in parishes in the Archdiocese of Seattle or at Catholic cemeteries in the archdiocese. Submit an obituary here.