In Memory of Eleanor Hecklau

Obituary

Eleanor Hecklau, age 95 of New Hartford, New York and formerly of Greenwich, Connecticut, died on February 20, 2026, at Wynn Hospital in Utica, New York.  

Born to John and Minna Straub in Elizabeth, New Jersey on May 18, 1930, Ellie attended Wagner College on Staten Island where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, and met her future husband, Edmund Hecklau.  Ellie and Ed married in 1952 in Linden, New Jersey.  Ellie worked as a chemist at Bell Laboratories where she worked on transistor research in Nobel Prize winner John Bardeen’s lab, while Ed attended medical school at New York University.  The couple moved to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina where Ed served in the medical branch of the U.S. Marine Corps, and where their son, John, was born in 1957.  Ellie and Ed subsequently moved to Buffalo, New York where their daughter Susan was born in 1958, then on to Greenwich, Connecticut, where daughter Constance was born in 1960.  They remained residents of Greenwich into the 1990’s, then relocated to Stamford, Connecticut before settling closer to family at Preswick Glen in New Hartford, New York.  Throughout their life together, Ellie and Ed enjoyed traveling - around the United States and abroad, visiting South and Central America, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Europe multiple times.   A devout, life-long Lutheran, Ellie was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in New Hartford, NY, and St. John’s Lutheran Church in Stamford, CT.

Ellie was a devoted wife to Ed and mom to her 3 children, and a loving grandmother and great grandmother.  She was dedicated to volunteer work through the Friendly Visitor program and Call-A-Ride service in Connecticut. Ellie was an avid reader, an expert knitter and needlepointer, a wicked bridge player, and a wonderful conversationalist.  With a remarkable ability to recall conversations, Ellie always remembered to ask about other people’s families, adventures and concerns.  Ellie was witty, smart and candid, with a dry sense of humor. She had a strong presence in our lives, and we will miss her forever.

Ellie is survived by her husband of 73 years, Edmund, her son John, daughters Susan (Anthony) Losco and Constance (Jean-Jacques) Peyrottes, grandchildren Emily, Ben, Sarah, Rachael, Sam and Ellie, as well as 6 beloved great-grandchildren.  

The family would like to thank the nurses and doctors at Wynn Hospital for their extraordinary care and compassion to Ellie and to us, and all our friends who have supported us throughout Ellie’s illness.  A private memorial service will take place at a future date.  Arrangements are with Friedel, Williams & Edmunds Funeral and Cremation Services, 13 Oxford Rd., New Hartford.

Friends may consider donating to a charity of their choice in Ellie’s memory.

For online expressions of sympathy go to fwefh.com.