Obituary: Newport Beach resident Eleanor Reicher dies at 106

In her 106 years on Earth, Eleanor Reicher lived through two world wars and two pandemics and fought any and all attempts for assisted living every step of the way.

Reicher, a New York native but a Newport Beach resident for the last 20 years, died on June 30 of old age, according to her grandson, Michael. The family will be holding services for her at Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills on July 15 at 11:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, her family requests donations be made in her name to the American Assn. of University Women.

Reicher was a university woman herself, having attended Fordham University with her husband, Arthur, where she received her bachelor’s degree in English and American literature in 1939, and USC, where she earned her master’s degree in teaching.

Reicher taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District for nearly two decades and was at one point a principal of a private school. When it came time to retire, she and her husband relocated to Long Beach.

Arthur Reicher died of a heart attack in 1989. Reicher remained in Long Beach until 2000 when she decided to move to Newport Beach to live closer to her children — at the insistence of her son, Bob.

Reicher was a resident of Park Newport until her death. Her family describes her as “fiercely independent” and a great lover of the arts and theater.

She is survived by her daughter, Cella Baker, son Robert Reicher, granddaughters Andrea Falk and Christina Ball, grandson Michael Reicher and great grandchildren Connor, Clayton and Brady.

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