Former Pilot film and restaurant critic dies at 88

Deepa Bharath

Eleanore Humphrey, a longtime Costa Mesa resident who was a film and

restaurant critic for the Daily Pilot, died of congestive heart

failure on Nov. 9. She was 88.

Humphrey was born in Cincinnati on Oct. 6, 1916. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and

worked in several capacities in radio, newspapers and magazines up

until World War II, after which she and her husband decided to start

a family.

The family moved to Glendale and later to Costa Mesa. Humphrey,

who had been a movie buff since she was a teenager, also received a

master’s degree in cinema in 1970 from USC. During her time in

graduate school, she worked on an independent film, which took her to

Tehran, Iran.

Humphrey absolutely enjoyed living in Costa Mesa and was an active

member of the community, her daughter Karen Humphrey said.

“She was a true politico,” she said. “She never ran for office,

but she was very much into politics.”

Eleanore Humphrey was a precinct worker who ran polling booths

every election year. A lifelong Democrat, she rooted for “anyone but

Bush” during the last election, Karen Humphrey said.

“She said if George Bush won, she’d leave the country,” she said.

“She went much farther than that.”

Her political fervor rubbed off on Karen and her brother, Jay

Humphrey, who was a Costa Mesa city councilman from 1990 to 1994.

Karen was a Fresno councilwoman in the ‘90s.

Eleanore Humphrey never stopped being a journalist, her daughter

said.

“She was insatiably curious about everything,” she said.

She enjoyed writing critiques for the Pilot, Karen Humphrey said.

“The free movie passes she would get were her biggest pay,” she

said.

Eleanore Humphrey is survived by her son Jay; daughter Karen; six

grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Private services were

held.