Eleanor “Elly” Lillian Von Appen (née Brown), a longtime resident of Warwick, New York, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully in her sleep on October 20, 2026. She was 91 years old.
Elly was a vibrant person with a sweet soul. She conveyed genuine warmth and sincerity to everyone she met. She loved you without judgement or limitations. She was always smiling.
Born in New York City in Manhattan on November 30, 1934, Eleanor was the daughter of George and Lillian Brown (née Klogner). Her dad was also born in Manhattan, and her mom was born in Little Ferry, New Jersey. She had a younger sister, Alice. As a very young child, she lived near 50th Street in Manhattan. She later moved to 9th Street in Astoria, Queens. She lived in a crowded cold flat brownstone apartment. They lived with extended family who slept on cots in the living room which they folded up in the daytime for more space. There were several flats on each floor, with no hot water, no central heating, and one shared bathroom down the hall. They were near the East River where she helped collect driftwood in her little red wagon to heat the apartment. They got a block of ice for their icebox every Saturday. All of the families living there were like one, always gathering and socializing on porches and rooftops.
Elly loved her father immensely. Her dad took the family to the movies every week. He liked to walk, visit museums, play games and read to his daughters. He loved Irish music and would sing to them. He was proud of his Northern Irish Protestant heritage and would wear orange in honor of King William of Orange. He would often bring her to attend the Orange Men’s Parade on 5th Avenue. Her dad worked in a lumberyard where he could bring home scraps of wood. He made a Noah’s Ark and a fancy doll house with a porch and painted bricks, as well as furniture for his girls. He doted on them and loved them with all of his heart. He called Eleanor “the apple of his eye.” Eleanor was heartbroken when, shortly after she was married, her father passed away suddenly of a heart attack.
Her mother worked as a secretary, then in a sweatshop as a seamstress, sewing fancy dresses for Lord & Taylor for a few cents each. Her mother loved to cook and always made big, hearty meals. Her family was from Czechoslovakia so she made many Czech dishes such as: Houska, a sweet, rich, braided egg bread with lemon, golden raisins and almonds made for holidays, and Vepro knedlo zelo, a dinner of pork, dumplings and sauerkraut. She also enjoyed reading stories and poetry to her children.
Elly met her husband, Konrad “Von” in Astoria, Queens as a teenager. They married in 1954 and moved to Little Ferry, New Jersey into the house her grandmother bought from the money she earned cleaning houses. There they had a beautiful flower garden started by her grandmother with Lily of the Valley, Irises, roses and fruit trees. It instilled in Elly a lifetime love of gardening. Von’s dog, Perro, was his first love. Elly didn’t want him in the house at first, but soon became a passionate pet and animal lover. She later had many pets and donated generously to the Warwick Humane Society.
She went to college at SUNY (State University of New York) New Paltz, receiving her 4-year teaching degree in Elementary Education in 3 years, with her best friend and college roommate Simonee (Akstin/Stewart/Tierney). After earning their degrees, the two friends had a text book burning party to celebrate all of their hard work. Von sent his army pay back to Elly to help pay for college. She continued her education, eventually earning her Master’s Degree in Education from Paterson State College (which is now William Paterson University).
In 1966, they purchased a home on Foley Road in Warwick, New York. It became a gathering place for friends and family to enjoy the local skiing, hiking and countryside. They eventually moved to Warwick full time because Von began teaching architecture at Orange County Community College, in Middletown. She taught second grade in Little Ferry, New Jersey, then when they moved, taught first grade at Scotchtown Avenue Elementary School in Goshen, New York for a total of 37 years. She was an exceptional teacher, adored and respected by her students.
Her daughter, Lassandra, was born in 1971. Elly enjoyed telling this story about the child she loved deeply:
She was picking apples in an apple orchard with Simonee and her new baby, Jennifer, when her water broke. Simonee drove her to the hospital. When Von got the call that Elly was in the hospital, he was teaching a class and called the WRONG class ‘roll’ and wondered why there were so many absent. Elly delivered quietly by the Lamaze method, popular at the time, and was coached by her husband. Nearby, in the hospital, Simonee and Jennifer were waiting in the outer hallways. At one point Jennifer cried, and several nurses came running because they thought someone was delivering outside the birthing room. Elly and Von drove their daughter home in their favorite car, the Volkswagen Beetle.
Elly emulated her mother’s and father’s example, loving her daughter and grandchildren with the same heartfelt passion. She showered them with unconditional love and also innumerable gifts! (Christmas was her favorite holiday). Her sweet, caring, disposition, her smile and her endless energy and enthusiasm for life will be remembered by her family and her countless friends.
Eleanor is survived by her daughter, Lassandra Von Appen, and her daughter’s husband, Keegan Yang, of Winslow, Maine; adopted family member and devoted caretaker, Barbara Ewert, and two grandchildren: Ely Yang and his wife, Patience, of Waterville, Maine, and Ryan Yang of Winslow, Maine; nieces and nephews: Nina Bleicher Fey and her husband, Hans Peter Fey; Lisa Bleicher; David Bleicher; and Randolph Giannini and his wife, Jahnet; great-nieces and great-nephews: Tristan Bleicher Otto, Shane Bleicher Otto and his wife Alexis Maroney Otto and daughter Charlotte Eowyn Otto, and Abigail Bleicher Healey. Eleanor was predeceased by her husband of 71 years, Konrad Von Appen, her sister, Alice Giannini, and her sister-in-law, Lorna Bleicher.
Private arrangements were made. Her ashes will be scattered on the property of their home designed by her husband.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Eleanor’s memory to the SUNY Orange Foundation/Konrad Von Appen Architecture Scholarship, 115 South Street, Middletown, NY 10940 or online https://www.sunyorangefoundation.org/suny-orange-scholarships The Foundation provides opportunities to students who may not otherwise be able to attend college.