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Published Sunday, September 17, 2000, in the San Jose Mercury News

Ellen Peacock, 53, had many careers

Teacher, therapist, `high-tech spiritualist' gave hospice care before dying of cancer

BY MICHAEL CRONK
Mercury News

Ellen Nold Peacock possessed a unique duality in her nature.

Reflected in her practical side was a long list of accomplishments as a college professor, writer, manager and product creator in the high-tech industry, and as a woman who could help build an airplane and then fly it.

But she was also a spiritual person who gave compassionate end-of-life care to two men dying of AIDS and worked as a therapist helping individuals and their families deal with dying and death, even as she struggled with her own terminal illness.

``In her professional and personal life, she was a mentor and teacher to many,'' said her husband, J. Kent Peacock. ``Her generous spirit, clarity of vision and ability to get things done were inspirational to those who knew her.''

Mrs. Peacock, 53, died Sept. 4 after a 10-year fight against breast cancer.

``It's fascinating to me how many different careers she had,'' said Mari-Lynne Earls, a close friend and a licensed marriage and family therapist.

``She was extremely smart and intuitive about people and had a tremendous capacity for intimacy,'' Earls said. ``The lag time between her having an idea for a project and implementing it was the shortest of anyone I ever knew.''

Mrs. Peacock received her bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees in English and American literature, graduating with great distinction from Stanford University. She was also a Phi Beta Kappa.

Before entering the high-tech field, she taught English and writing at Los Altos High School, Algonquin College and the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, and at City College of San Francisco. Mrs. Peacock was also the director of the undergraduate writing program at Stanford from 1972 to 1976. Over the next five years, she directed the Communications Project for the School of Engineering at Stanford.

She began her 17-year career in high-tech in 1978 as a managing partner at Southgate Associates. She moved to Apple Computer Inc. in the early to mid-'80s and held a variety of managerial posts including developing sales support tools, manuals and programs for developers of the Lisa personal computer and designing and implementing the company's Support Training Library. Mrs. Peacock was also president of Super Solution, Inc., a start-up, and wrote the business plan in 1986. She was also the product marketing manager at Adobe Systems until October 1989.

Her breast cancer was initially diagnosed in 1990. She began learning as much as she could about treatment options and eventually became a volunteer at the Community Breast Health Project.

Mrs. Peacock also wanted ``to follow her heart'' and went back to school to become a psychotherapist. She opened a practice in Menlo Park and later led a support group for metastatic breast cancer patients.

She was widowed in her first marriage. A second marriage, to techno-gossip columnist Robert X. Cringely, ended in divorce. For a time, the couple ran a small business making high-performance propellers for the Glasair, a home-built aircraft.

Mrs. Peacock met her husband, Kent, a senior staff engineer with Sun Microsystems, in 1997 through a matchmaking Web site.

He had been intrigued by her ad, marveling at a woman who combined highly practical accomplishments with adventurous and spiritual pursuits -- a kind of a ``high-tech spiritualist.'' They also shared common interests, such as flying and golf. They married in June 1999.

Mrs. Peacock's cancer recurred in the fall of 1997. A bone scan the next year revealed that the disease had spread to her bones.

In her practice and as a charter member of the Mid-Peninsula Hospice Foundation, Mrs. Peacock was committed to caring for the dying. She took two men with AIDS into her home and cared for them in their final days.

``We assisted both men in helping them die as spiritually, consciously and lovingly as we could,'' said Sidny Dyal, who would be Mrs. Peacock's private attendant in her final struggle.

``She was exceptionally generous, extremely capable and very committed to true friendships and the spiritual path,'' said Dyal. ``It was in her to be a counselor and mentor.''


Contact Michael Cronk at mcronk@sjmercury.com or (408) 343-4523.

Ellen Nold Peacock

  •  Born: Oct. 25, 1946, in San Francisco.

  •  Died: Sept. 4, 2000, in Menlo Park.

  •  Survived by: Husband, J. Kent Peacock of Menlo Park; stepdaughter, Giselle Elaine Peacock of Menlo Park; sisters, Nora Pratowski of Coos Bay, Ore., and Tiana Ryan of Hayward.

  •  Services: Have been held.

  •  Memorial: Contributions can be made to the Mid-Peninsula Pathways Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, Calif. 94025.
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