Eleanor Kley

Eleanor Kley, age 88, of Shelby Township, passed away on Sunday, February 26 at the Medi-Lodge Nursing Facility in Richmond. Eleanor was born on October 7, 1928 in Hamtramck, Michigan to Zygmunt and Franciszka (Wiczynska) Hotkowski. After earning an Associate’s Degree in Secretarial Science, she worked for several Michigan companies before marrying Robert Kley on January 29, 1955 at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church in Detroit. Robert and Eleanor lived in Ann Arbor for 25+ years before moving to California in 1984. For the next fifteen years, Eleanor was the Director of Recreation at Leisure Village in Ocean Hills, California, a 2,000 home luxury enclave for retired celebrities. It was common to see Eleanor talking to Burt Lancaster, Peggy Lee or Patti Page, among many others, on any given day. When Eleanor was not working, she enjoyed writing poetry about each member of her family. Eleanor is survived by her husband of 62 years, Robert, and two children, Carolyn (Michael) Fanning of Alexandria, Virginia and James Keller of Phoenix, Arizona; a grandson, Gregory Fanning; two sisters, Delphine Zabinski and Genevieve Brzakowski; many nieces and nephews and other family members. She was preceded in death by her parents and an older brother, Leo. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, April 20 at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Czestochowa Church, 3100 18 Mile Road in Sterling Heights. A private interment will follow at a later date at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit. In lieu of flowers or other gifts, donations may be made to a hospice organization of your choice.