SPECIAL SECTION : SENIORS
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Eleanore Rubinstein and Sophie
Eleanore Rubinstein
lived, and loved, fully By Diane Koopman 34
DECEMBER 2020 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE
t could be said that she lived almost two lives – and lived them fully. Beloved family matriarch Eleanore Rubinstein peacefully left this world on November 8, 2020, at 107½ years young, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. Born April 23, 1913, to Richard and Carolyn See in New York City, Eleanore moved to Portland when she was seven. After graduating from Grant High School in 1931, she attended the University of Washington. Eleanore married Paul Rubinstein in 1933, and together they raised their four children in Aberdeen, Washington, before relocating to Portland in 1960. A phenomenal mother and grandmother with four generations beneath her (“my granddaughter is a grandmother,” she liked to say), family was the most important thing to her, and she approached every day with humor, purpose, gratitude and grace. Still driving a Lexus SUV when she turned 100, her vanity license plate read “ABZGAL,” and indeed, this busy gal never slowed down. A natural athlete, Eleanore took pride in being a tomboy growing up, with a particular fondness for baseball and track. She loved bowling and golf and played tennis into her 90s, reigning as a two-time champion of the USTA’s Women’s 90s division. She enthusiastically (and quite vocally) cheered on family members when they were on the field or court and even attended Mariners games as a centenarian. A role model in every way, Eleanore demonstrated an unwavering commitment to volunteering. Starting with the Red Cross during World War II, she consistently found ways to give back, whether it was the PTA, Girl Scouts of America, or the National Council for Jewish Women. Well into her 100s,
