It is with great sadness to announce the passing of Elinor May Stott, age 93.  She passed peacefully at Kaiser Hospital with her daughter, Susan Kendall by her side on August 13, 2022.

Elinor was survived by her children Susan, Nancy, Robert, Rebecca and Barbara, 10 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

Unbeknownst to Elinor she suffered from Narcolepsy until the onset of Cataplexy which started at age 45.  (Narcolepsy is a sleeping disorder you are born with and was not recognized until years later).  She was taken to Stanford Medical Center emergency one evening after working and appearing to pass out (this was the Cataplexy at work).  Stanford Medical center was studying Narcolepsy at the time and they diagnosed Elinor with this disorder.  She worked with Stanford Sleep Clinic for many years to help with their studies hoping to help others with this debilitating disorder.   While many Narcoleptics become very depressed, she stayed happy and positive.  She always had a smile and kind words to say to everyone.  Fortunately, the experimental drugs Stanford prescribed worked much of Elinor's life to help her stay awake and stop the Cataplexy, however she had to retire at age 62, due to the Narcolepsy.  Then had to stop driving a few years later due to a car accident.  The medication stopped working and she had a Cataplectic seizure while traveling at 1 mile per hour and crashed into a pole. She missed working up until the day she passed away.

Elinor didn't know why at the time but she had a terrible time with office jobs because she had such a hard time concentrating and falling asleep.  This was caused by the Narcolepsy.  Elinor learned waitressing while she was in high school and chose this as her life time career.  She began waitressing in coffee shops, then took a position as Head Waitress for Cable Car Catering.  In later years when Cable Car Catering closed, she went to work for Ricky's Hyatt House as a banquet waitress.  With waitressing she was always on the go and enjoyed the people and the activity.  It also afforded her the ability to work in the evening while her husband was home and she could be home for her children during the day.  Within her waitressing career, she took many years off to raise her children when drugs first came into the seen. But went back full time when she felt the children were safe.

When she had to leave waitressing due to her Narcolepsy, it just so happened her daughter Barbara had had twin boys and she had exhausted her leave.  Barbara had to go back to work.  Barbara was in need of a caretaker for the boys when she went back to work so Grandma offered to watch the boys.  She would travel to Gilroy from San Jose and stay from Monday through Thursday to watch the twins.  She did this for a year and loved every minute of watching them and all of their little antics.  She would tell stories all the time how they did this or that.

Elinor's passions were her family, dancing, music, cooking, San Francisco and the beach.  During the summer she would pile all of her kids and their friends in the car and take them to the beach.  Whenever a good song came on the radio, she'd grab her daughter Susan and they'd start jitterbugging in the living room.  She'd do cooking classes for all the kids, friends included.  It was the house to hangout for family and friends.  The friends even visited when her kids moved out.  She was called Mom by many of her children's friends.  She was the glue that held the family together.  She was always there to help out and be there for her family. She would do without to make sure there was money for emergencies and to take care of important things needed.

Elinor was a wonderful wife and mother and will be dearly missed and, in our hearts forever.

The funeral will be held at 1:00pm on Saturday, September 10th at Habing Family Funeral Home in Gilroy.  Immediately following a small gathering will be held to celebrate Elinor's life at her daughter Susan's home in Gilroy.