Eileen AHERN

23 AUG 1930 - 29 JAN 2023

• BIRTH: 23 AUG 1930, Brooklyn, Kings County, NY
• DEATH: 29 JAN 2023, Holy Cross Village, Notre Dame, IN

• MARRIAGE: 1954, St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City, NY

INDEX

[N34361] Eileen Ahern
August 23, 1930 - January 29, 2023

Eileen Ahern Murphy, 92, affectionately known as "Grandma 'Leen" and also as "The Wild Irish Rose," passed away on Sunday, January 29, 2023. Eileen summed up the essence of her life as "One man, one wife, a home, three boys, three girls, some grief, some joy, with blessings from above, one LOVE for life." Eileen was born on August 23, 1930 in Brooklyn, NY, to Sylvia (Garriques) and Joseph Ahern, their first child. The family later moved to Westchester County, and lived in Mount Kisco, NY. Eileen attended Horace Greeley High School and then Good Counsel College (now Pace University) for two years. She then worked as a laboratory technician at New York University and lived in Rego Park, Long Island, NY. There, she met Robert O. Murphy. In 1954, Eileen and Robert were married in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City. They lived in Clifton, NJ, and in 1958, they moved to the Chicago area. Eileen had a successful career as a wife and mother of six children. As a family of eight, they traveled in successive years to California and the West Coast, New York City and the East Coast, and through the South to Florida, as well as many summers of camping in Wisconsin. As a couple, Eileen and Robert traveled as far north as Alaska, west to Hawaii, south to the Caribbean, and east to Europe. Eileen volunteered with Head Start, Community Concerts, and the Adult Literacy League. She presented award-winning speeches as a member of Toastmasters International. Eileen returned to school at 30 and finished her bachelor's degree at National College of Education, Evanston, IL. She went on to earn a master's degree in education at Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, IN, which included a month of travel and study in Europe and Russia. She taught at the elementary level. In 1986, Eileen and Robert moved to Granger, IN. She earned a master's degree in communication at Indiana University South Bend (IUSB) and taught there as an adjunct instructor in speech communication for five years. In later years, Eileen dedicated herself to her home, her ten grandchildren, her three great-grandchildren, and the pursuit of her personal interests: reading, gardening, travel, watercolor painting, yoga, line dancing, and astronomy. Her travels took her around the globe, from Alaska to Calcutta, on many adventures, including dog sledding, sailing, river rafting, and her favorite-hiking in the Grand Canyon. She loved participating in Elderhostel/Roads Scholar courses around the U.S. and enrolling in Forever Learning Institute classes in South Bend, IN. Eileen became a member of the First Unitarian Church to learn to draw on the wisdom of all religions for the development of personal growth. Eileen was deeply grateful to live a fulfilled life and to live in a time when all people were beginning to recognize and be given the opportunity to come to the full fruition that her vision of God meant for them. Eileen is survived by her husband, Robert O. Murphy, Sr., her sister, Barbara (Ahern) Ford, her sons and daughters and their spouses: Christopher Murphy (Barbara Booth), Studio City, CA; Marianne Murphy Zarzana (James), South Bend, IN; Nancy Murphy Spicer (David), Charlottesville, VA; Statia Murphy, Indianapolis, IN; Robert O. Murphy, Jr. (Kimberley), Three Oaks, MI; and Matthew Murphy (Valerie), Murrieta, CA; her grandchildren: Morgen Joy Gallo (Tom), Elaine Zarzana (Finbar Madden), Keelia Sulak (Brian), Kameron Murphy, Robert Keegan Murphy, Honora and Anastatia Spicer, Adrian Firsich, Malia and Mitchell Murphy, her great-grandchildren, Rowan Murphy Gallo, Josephine Neve Gallo, and Torne Madden Zarzana, her nieces and nephews, as well as her grand-nieces and grand-nephews, comprising the Ford, Bliven, Lawbaugh, Cellar, Meredith, Joyce, Jeffers, Mootz, Galdabini, Derwent, Schreiber, and Schroeder families.Eileen was preceded in death by her parents, Sylvia (Garriques) and Joseph Ahern and two of her sisters: Mary (Ahern) Lawbaugh and Patty (Ahern) Joyce. Eileen's family is deeply grateful for the loving, professional care she received from the staff at Tanglewood Trace from September 2020 to April 2022 and from the staff at Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame from April 2022 until the end of her life. As Eileen directed, her body was received by the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, IN for scientific research. A Celebration of Life will be held at the First Unitarian Church, 801 E. Washington St., South Bend, IN 46617 at a date and time to be determined when her beloved family and friends are able to gather. Those at a distance may attend by Zoom, and the link will be available to watch the video later. Memorial donations may be made in Eileen's honor to the First Unitarian Church.

Posted online on February 04, 2023