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NAPLES, Fla. -- Eleanor E. Coyle Cregan, a native of Youngstown, died peacefully in her sleep on the evening of Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Naples, Florida. She was 101 years-old.
Eleanor, who was known affectionately by her family and friends as "Babe," was born in Youngstown on Jan. 9, 1925. She was the daughter of the late Michael Coyle and Mary Maher Coyle, both of whom came to the United States -- and to Youngstown -- as immigrants from Ireland. She attended Youngstown public schools and graduated from South High School in the class of 1942. She fell in love with, then married, her high school friend, the late Lawrence V. Cregan, in 1950. The two "South Siders" eventually moved to the Kirkmere neighborhood on the city's West Side. Together, they raised three children, Thomas, Patricia and Joe.
Eleanor's lifelong ambition was to become a nurse -- but she believed her first career was raising her children. Consequently, after her children had matured, in 1973 -- and at the age of 48 -- she enrolled in, and graduated from, the Hannah Mullins School of Nursing in Salem. Throughout her life, she would tell of her "late start" story, along with the encouraging words "Go back to school" or simply "You can do it."
Eleanor worked for nearly 20 years as a licensed practical nurse at St. Elizabeth Hospital, a job she truly loved. After retiring in 1991, she next became a volunteer and tour guide for many years at the Butler Institute of American Art. She was also a volunteer and very active in her "adopted" parish, St. Charles Borromeo in Boardman. She relocated to Naples, Florida, in 2019.
Eleanor loved life, loved her family and was extremely proud of her Irish-American heritage and also of her hometown, Youngstown.
She was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Mary Kathryn Samuels; a brother, James Coyle; and her late husband, Attorney Lawrence Cregan. She leaves behind three children, Thomas Cregan (Vanessa) of Pittsburgh, Mary Patricia Kennedy (Bruce) of Naples, Florida, and Joseph Cregan (Kathleen) of Marietta, Georgia; along with eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. They all loved her -- and she loved them back even more. Her nearly perpetual smile, infectious laugh and consistent words of encouragement will be greatly missed.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, at St. Mary Magdalene Parish-St. Christine Church, 3165 South Schenley Ave., Youngstown, with interment to follow in Calvary Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for any donations to be directed to either St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital or the Butler Institute of American Art, both in Youngstown.
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