Eileen was one of my best friends for the past 30 years.
We went on a fabulous trip to Hawaii in 1988 with Cecelia McGough and had many fun times there and super memories of crazy adventures while there. We drank bathtub gin out of replica ceramic bathtub ceramic cups just to get the souvenier, volunteered at the Polynisian Cultural Center when they asked for help from the audience, were bummed out that we had not drank more one of the nights (simply because we thought the cab ride would cost more), went to the top of a mountain for sunrise where we were above the clouds, went on an all you could drink mai tai cruise, shopped until we dropped, bought muu muus, hung out at Hilo Hatis, just totally had a blast.
We continued our friendship through craft fairs (when Eileen was decorating in ducks and I in bears), was involved in Vectors/Pgh for a time, joined CAC to meet more people, shopped until we dropped on many occassions, at our last craft fair together we closed it down (St. Winifreds)...we were talking and enjoying a diet Pepsi while the church ladies did their Chinese Auction and started cleaning up around us, 30 years of her Christmas parties on the 2nd Saturday of December (had a great visit this year since the weather was rough that night it was a smaller crowd)...she thought she was getting over a chest cold, her many stories (spoken like a true Irish woman), remembering to save every Bed, Bath and Beyond coupon so we could use several when we went shopping there, and hanging out at Mt Lebo pool until we moved to Cincinnati.
Eileen was in 2 weddings in Erie...2 of her college friends married brothers...when she was there she met (their cousin) Charlie...and he became the love of her life. Together they adopted/rescued dogs from some terrible fates and gave them a loving home.
Several years ago she was scheduled to be on the flight that ended in disaster. Her boss had gone in her place and perished that day. She kept in touch with his family and her and Charlie had remained in their home since the reason that she could not make the trip was that they were closing on the house.
Eileen and Charlie were extremely involved in the Irish Festival and delighted in seeing some our classmates attend.
Since Eileen was a nurse she helped me with the fertility shots and taught me about how to read all the machines in my dad and brothers rooms when they were on their deathbeds.
One particular time, my husband was out of town for my birthday (when we lived in Cincinnaati). Eileen took a few days off and came to spend the weekend with Jesse (our now 10 year old) and I. Little did she know that he would start cutting his first tooth that weekend and we would take turns walking him around and feeding him freeze pops. We, however, did shop on Saturday until what we would refer to as the "melt down" of Jesse. He just could not take it anymore (he was 4 months old).
Eileen was at both of the boys baptisms and Jesses Communion and numberous events...I will surely miss her and her stories and updates on everyone/everything.
You see Eileen was not a sickly person. The second Saturday of December she had a chest cold. She still was nursing a cold right before Christmas and when I talked to her, I had convinced her to take the Monday before Christmas off from work (she was the QC of the pharmacy at Childrens Hospital of Pgh-perfect job for her...she loved it) and just take it easy. The day after Christmas she sent me a text message that Santa had given her double pnemonia and that she was in St. Claire. The next night Charlie had called my husband to say she was in ICU. As soon as we got home from VA (visiting my husbands family for Christmas) I ran to St. Claire to visit (she was still in ICU and in a drug enduced coma). They life flighted her to Presby in hopes that there would be more to do for her bu since it was viral there was nothing to be done really. She lost her battle on 1/7/14 after it had attacked all of her organs.
Such a waste...I am so sad for Charlie, her mom, her brother (Bobby) and his family
The life of the dead is placed on the memories of the living. The love you gave in life keeps people alive beyond their time. Anyone who was given love will always live on in another's heart.-Cicero
I shared this quote in my eulogy with her family and friends this past Saturday and everyone is just still so stunned that this happened in this day and age.
Monica L. McCann (Marks)
Eileen was one of my best friends for the past 30 years.
We went on a fabulous trip to Hawaii in 1988 with Cecelia McGough and had many fun times there and super memories of crazy adventures while there. We drank bathtub gin out of replica ceramic bathtub ceramic cups just to get the souvenier, volunteered at the Polynisian Cultural Center when they asked for help from the audience, were bummed out that we had not drank more one of the nights (simply because we thought the cab ride would cost more), went to the top of a mountain for sunrise where we were above the clouds, went on an all you could drink mai tai cruise, shopped until we dropped, bought muu muus, hung out at Hilo Hatis, just totally had a blast.
We continued our friendship through craft fairs (when Eileen was decorating in ducks and I in bears), was involved in Vectors/Pgh for a time, joined CAC to meet more people, shopped until we dropped on many occassions, at our last craft fair together we closed it down (St. Winifreds)...we were talking and enjoying a diet Pepsi while the church ladies did their Chinese Auction and started cleaning up around us, 30 years of her Christmas parties on the 2nd Saturday of December (had a great visit this year since the weather was rough that night it was a smaller crowd)...she thought she was getting over a chest cold, her many stories (spoken like a true Irish woman), remembering to save every Bed, Bath and Beyond coupon so we could use several when we went shopping there, and hanging out at Mt Lebo pool until we moved to Cincinnati.
Eileen was in 2 weddings in Erie...2 of her college friends married brothers...when she was there she met (their cousin) Charlie...and he became the love of her life. Together they adopted/rescued dogs from some terrible fates and gave them a loving home.
Several years ago she was scheduled to be on the flight that ended in disaster. Her boss had gone in her place and perished that day. She kept in touch with his family and her and Charlie had remained in their home since the reason that she could not make the trip was that they were closing on the house.
Monica L. McCann (Marks)
Eileen and Charlie were extremely involved in the Irish Festival and delighted in seeing some our classmates attend.
Since Eileen was a nurse she helped me with the fertility shots and taught me about how to read all the machines in my dad and brothers rooms when they were on their deathbeds.
One particular time, my husband was out of town for my birthday (when we lived in Cincinnaati). Eileen took a few days off and came to spend the weekend with Jesse (our now 10 year old) and I. Little did she know that he would start cutting his first tooth that weekend and we would take turns walking him around and feeding him freeze pops. We, however, did shop on Saturday until what we would refer to as the "melt down" of Jesse. He just could not take it anymore (he was 4 months old).
Eileen was at both of the boys baptisms and Jesses Communion and numberous events...I will surely miss her and her stories and updates on everyone/everything.
You see Eileen was not a sickly person. The second Saturday of December she had a chest cold. She still was nursing a cold right before Christmas and when I talked to her, I had convinced her to take the Monday before Christmas off from work (she was the QC of the pharmacy at Childrens Hospital of Pgh-perfect job for her...she loved it) and just take it easy. The day after Christmas she sent me a text message that Santa had given her double pnemonia and that she was in St. Claire. The next night Charlie had called my husband to say she was in ICU. As soon as we got home from VA (visiting my husbands family for Christmas) I ran to St. Claire to visit (she was still in ICU and in a drug enduced coma). They life flighted her to Presby in hopes that there would be more to do for her bu since it was viral there was nothing to be done really. She lost her battle on 1/7/14 after it had attacked all of her organs.
Such a waste...I am so sad for Charlie, her mom, her brother (Bobby) and his family
The life of the dead is placed on the memories of the living. The love you gave in life keeps people alive beyond their time. Anyone who was given love will always live on in another's heart.-Cicero
I shared this quote in my eulogy with her family and friends this past Saturday and everyone is just still so stunned that this happened in this day and age.
Aloha Wahini