There was jazz playing at the Albert house nonstop. Elinor and Frederick played records every single day, all day. The music added warmth to the home, making the lack of communication between the parents and their kids less obvious. Seeing Frederick talkative lifted everyone’s spirits, especially Elinor, who was naturally loquacious. She had become a delight to her neighbors and a beloved resident of Village Creek.

Pamela Ballard was a teenager and friends with Stephen when she first met Elinor. “There was a couch, and I would come and sit on that couch in the early afternoon, late morning. I’d be here until about ten of five, until she’d say, ‘Oh! I didn’t realize—where did the time go? I’ve got to fix dinner for Frika.’ And she’d go running into the kitchen and say, ‘You’ve got to go!’ That happened so many days.”23

Elinor loved taking care of her family and was a gourmet cook. “She could make wiener schnitzel like killer,” said Chris. She sent him to school with decadent sandwiches. While other kids were eating peanut butter and jelly, Chris had roast pork or tuna on homemade bread. She made sure dinner was lavish. She could make every kind of cuisine imaginable, including Bavarian food, which she would fuse with soul food.

Her energy even inspired Frederick to occasionally bake at home. He and Chris would make kaiser rolls and donuts, and eat them fresh out of the oven—one of the few tender moments between them.

Since Elinor had long given up the idea of working, she put her energy into gardening. For years she wore her white nurse’s jacket and would sit on a stool weeding and planting for hours and “sweating like a pig,” said Chris. She tended to the garden almost every day; that became her job. When Frederick left for work, Elinor went to her yard. Tomatoes, corn, flowers, exotic plants, perennials—she cultivated a beautiful garden that neighbors stopped by to admire.

Elinor was always caring for something or someone. She was a nurturer, and her garden reflected that. She never burdened anyone with her problems, but she was always around to listen to theirs. Teenage girls frequently visited her, and she showered them with gifts—dresses or jewelry. She was an avid collector of art and antiques, as well as a mentor and volunteer at Planned Parenthood. As long as Elinor was taking care of someone, obviously Frederick first, she was happy.