She was born in Colorado, but lived most of her life in Salinas, California. With her first husband, Eleuterio "Terry" Cortez, she had two daughters; Elizabeth and Patricia.
She was a lounge singer during her twenties and later worked for the phone company until she retired. She graduated from Hartnell College at 50. During the 90s, she was a DJ on HDC Radio 90.9 FM in Salinas, CA. Her program was The Music of Hawaii. It ran every Sunday for six hours. Her DJ name was Aunty Nora. (Everyone called her that.)
In 2004, after ending her show, she moved to Moreno Valley, CA to be with Elizabeth and her grandchildren.
Eleanor is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth Bunuan, her grandchildren; Kenneth Bunuan and Michael Bunuan, her great grandchildren: Zechariah Bunuan, Tabitha Bunuan and their children: Adelina, Annabelle, Elias, Adirah, Neriah and Nehemiah. At this point, she said to call her “GG”. Also, her cat, Groucho, who she always sang to.
The love of her life was her third husband, Lorenzo "Willie" Galiza. Sadly he passed 40 years ago. She is finally reunited with him.
A committal service for Eleanor will be held Monday, June 3, 2024 from 11:45 AM to 12:15 PM at Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Boulevard, Riverside, CA 92518.
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