Eleanor Mae Whitman

Eleanor Mae Whitman, 84, of Quincy, Illinois, passed peacefully on Sunday, April 19, 2026, at Sunset Home where she had resided for the past two years.

Eleanor was born August 21, 1941, in Quincy to Harold and Lillian (Bauer) Whitman. The middle of three sisters, she was raised in a small home on Sycamore Street and showed an aptitude for music from the time she could reach the keys of her grandmother’s spinet piano. She graduated from Quincy Senior High in 1959 and went on to study sacred music at MacMurray College in Jacksonville.

Eleanor began as church organist at First Baptist Church of Quincy in 1962 and remained at the bench for forty-three years, retiring in 2005. Generations of Quincy weddings, baptisms, and funerals took place to her playing — meticulously prepared, never rushed, and always sensitive to the moment.

A quiet, faithful presence

Eleanor never married and had no children, but she counted dozens of Quincy families as her own. She tutored piano students out of her home well into her seventies and was a devoted volunteer at the Adams County Food Pantry, the Quincy Salvation Army, and her beloved First Baptist Church. Friends remember her quick wit, her precise handwriting on every greeting card, and her unfailing kindness.

Survived by

Eleanor is survived by her sister Doris (Whitman) Lindholm of Hannibal, Missouri; her nephew Mark Lindholm of St. Louis; her niece Susan Lindholm Hayes of Springfield; four great-nieces and great-nephews; and a great many former students who became lifelong friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Vivian Whitman Pruitt.

Services

Visitation will be held Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Bennett Funeral Home, 418 Maine Street, Quincy. A memorial service will be held Sunday, April 26, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Quincy. Burial will follow at Woodland Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the music program at First Baptist Church of Quincy or to the Adams County Food Pantry.

The Whitman family is in the care of Bennett Funeral Home.