Elaine Senecal, 84

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. —  Elaine Therese (Ringie) Senecal, 84 of North Adams died on Friday, December 9, 2022, at Berkshire Medical Center. She was born in Pittsfield on March 3, 1938, a daughter of the late Donald Francis & Katheryn Anne (Goddeau) Ringie.

Elaine attended St. Joseph’s High School and graduated with the class of 1956. After high school, she was employed by New England Telephone Company as a telephone operator, which was fitting with a last name of Ringie! She then left the phone company to fulfill her dream of being a full-time mother. Elaine worked part-time as a lunchroom monitor at Brayton School while her children were young. She also worked for a short time during the late 1960’s as an aid at North Adams Commons Nursing Home. In later years, she worked at North Adams Regional Hospital as the switchboard operator until her retirement in the late 1990’s. Elaine also took a Hairdressing class at McCann Tech. and was her husband’s personal barber for over 60 years.

Elaine was raised by parents who performed in minstrel shows and loved to sing 3-part harmony, and she would sing with them as a very young child. She enjoyed singing old time tunes her entire life, often accompanied by her ukulele which she taught herself how to play when she was in Hawaii with her husband who was stationed there for the Navy when they were first married. Elaine passed along her love of song to her husband and daughter, and they would often sing together. Two of their favorite songs were “Show Me the Way to Go Home” and “You Are My Sunshine”. Elaine and her husband were members of the Berkshire Choral in the 1970’s and performed in several public shows.

As a young girl, Elaine also tap-danced and performed on radio shows. She was a very good swimmer and was credited with saving the life of one of her friends.

Elaine was well-known for her great sense of humor and quick wit, especially for making clever puns, which came to her effortlessly. Her laugh was unmistakable, and she would light up the room the moment she arrived. Humor followed her everywhere throughout her life and she would share many funny stories that would keep people in stitches. She was told many times that she could have written a book and it would have been a best-seller. Elaine had a passion for writing humorous poems and was often asked to create personalized poems for special events.

Elaine was a very compassionate and caring person who would give the shirt off her back to help someone, which she often did throughout the years. She had a special connection with children and had the ability to make them feel excepted and loved. Many neighborhood children would come to her house to talk about their problems and Elaine would listen and give them advice. During the summer, Elaine was known for telling ghost stories to the kids who would gather around and ask her to be the “Spider Woman” and tell them the “Genie and the Liver Ghost” story again. She loved telling a scary story and enjoyed seeing the looks on the kids’ faces. Of course, there was always a sudden scary ending that made the kids jump and scream even though they heard the story many times before.

Elaine had a special knack for creating beautiful window curtain arrangements. She also had excellent taste in colonial furniture and home decorations. She was often asked to help family and friends with their curtains and go shopping for furniture, which she loved to do.

Elaine first laid eyes on Ritchie Senecal while walking home from high school with her friend, and it was love at first sight for both of them. Ever since that day, their faithful commitment to one another and their 64+ years together have been one of the greatest love stories that can ever be told. Through good times and bad, especially during the profound loss of their 5-year-old son Don, their close connection and deep love for one another could never be broken. Her marriage was one of the greatest blessings in her lifetime.

Survivors include her husband, Richard Leo Senecal whom she married on April 7, 1958, her daughter, Mary-Kay O’Brien and her husband Lawrence of Adams, Massachusetts as well as her grandchildren, Kristopher Jangrow and his wife Heather of Pennsylvania and Erik Jangrow of North Adams, Massachusetts. She was predeceased by her son Don Richard Senecal in 1972 and sister Carol K. Miller in 2022.

FUNERAL NOTICE: A service to celebrate the life of Elaine Senecal will be held on Friday, December 16, 2022 at 11:00 AM at the Flynn & Dagnoli Funeral Home – CENTRAL CHAPEL 74 Marshall St. North Adams, MA. Burial will follow in Bellevue Cemetery in Adams, MA. Calling hours at the funeral home will be from 9:30-11:00 AM. Donations in Elaine’s memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital or the Berkshire Food Project through the funeral home. To add to the Book of Memories, please visit flynndagnolifuneralhomes.com.