Elinor “Ellie” Konys, 89, of Hilton Head Island, SC, and Truro, MA, formerly of Dewitt, NY, passed away peacefully on April 17, 2025, at Broad Creek Care Center on Hilton Head Island. Ellie was born in Turner Falls, MA to the late Leo and Mildred Berry, and grew up in the shadows of Haystack Mountain and Mt. Snow in Wilmington, Vt. She received her nursing degree from Russell Sage College and met her husband Dr. Richard “Dick” Konys, Sr. while both were volunteering at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, NY. They were married and moved to Syracuse, NY in 1957, and remained active in the community until their retirement in 1999, to Hilton Head Island. Together, Ellie and Dick enjoyed 57 wonderful years of marriage.
In her early years, Ellie worked as a registered nurse at Memorial Hospital in Syracuse. Her career shifted into being a dedicated mother to her children Richard(Caren), David(Julie), and Susan(Francis), grandmother to Jana (Keith), Jack(Megan), Hallie(Sean), Casey(Boyd), Sawyer, Olivia, Abigayle(Alex), Ashley(Kevin), Brianna, and Michael, and Great-grandmother to Crosby, Theo, Fox, and Josie.
Later in life, Ellie worked as a life coach for the Diet Center, and was employed as an office assistant at ReMax Masters in Fayetteville, NY. In addition, she was involved as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels, Syracuse Stage, and the Women’s Auxiliary for the Onondaga Medical Society. In retirement, she was an active volunteer at Memory Matters on Hilton Head.
Elinor and Dick loved to travel and visited countless countries all over the world. But her favorite spot was with her ever-expanding family and friends. She truly loved her family and friends.
A private family celebration of both Ellie’s and Dick’s lives will be held at their beloved Ballston Beach on Cape Cod this summer.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Elinor’s memory to Mirasol Health Hospice Care of the Low Country, PO Box 3827, Bluffton, SC 29910, or online at Mirasolhealth.org.
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