by Mark Gilman
I was on the air in 1997 when someone came rushing into my talk radio studio and said, “Father Cunningham just died!” I had just months before moved to Detroit from Washington D.C. and my instant response was, “Who’s Father Cunningham?” I’ve lived in the Detroit area now for 14 years and I didn’t have to say “Who’s Eleanor Josaitis?” this morning when I learned she had died at the age of 79.
Father William Cunningham and Eleanor Josaitis founded Focus:Hope amidst the ashes of Detroit’s1967 riots. Both white, both Catholic, they fought for decades to erase the stain of one of the worst racially motivated tragedies in any city in the U.S. Eleanor and Father Cunningham saw no color and made inroads in a divided city like no one else. Where others sought out the refuge of politics, they saw solutions in love, faith, compassion and prayer.
Eleanor joined the cause of Focus:Hope as a housewife and succeeded Father Cunningham after his death 14 years ago. I’ve met personally with Eleanor on more than 100 occasions over those years and each meeting, whether formal or informal, began with a hug, a smile and a kiss followed by “how ARE you, dear!” I always believed she really wanted to know and when I was around her, the answer was always – “great.” There are literally thousands in the Detroit area who can say the same. She inspired, she motivated, she LED.
Eleanor’s legacy at Focus:Hope is now being carried out by the extremely capable William Jones. Though the mission has shifted in the past few years to align with a changing economy and city resident priorities, the organization is still successfully carrying out the original goals of its founders. My memory of Eleanor will be her unflappable personality and how her health issues in recent years never deterred her spirit and mission. She never complained, never stopped working to make a difference.
Whenever an Eleanor Josaitis leaves us, I wonder aloud who will replace her. I’m hoping there are literally hundreds who will remember her time here and take up the mantle. In the meantime, I miss her hugs already.
MCCI Senior Vice President, Marketing Mark Gilman addressed attendees at a special afternoon workshop as part of the Southeast Michigan Senior Regional Collaborative day long conference entitled “Aging Services: Changing the Mindset” on November 1, 2011.
