Eileen Edna Deutsch
Eileen Edna Deutsch of Hilton Head Island, S.C., and formerly of Manhasset and Shelter Island, passed away Aug. 10, 2017, after a long nine-year struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 77 years old.
Eileen is survived by her husband of 55 years, Edward; her identical twin sister, Elaine Small; her two sons Eric and Douglas and their wives, Stephanie and Lori. She also leaves behind a close and loving family including grandchildren Jack, Emma, Nate and Cole.
Eileen and her sister were born Feb. 28, 1940, to Ernest and Ann Drollinger. As Eileen would like to say, she was first and is the oldest. She attended local New York City schools in Glendale, Queens, and summered in Croton-on-Hudson. She enrolled in Queens College, majored in American History and graduated in 1960.
Eileen met her husband-to-be in her third year at college. Their first date was visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art to fulfill a college art course requirement. She got an “A.” Eileen graduated, went on to get a Master’s in Education at St. John’s University and taught ninth-grade American History at Memorial Junior High School in Valley Stream.
Eileen married Ed on April 22, 1962, and continued working until their first child, Eric, was born four years later. Eileen went back to part-time teaching for a year until Douglas was born in 1969. Then Eileen became a full-time mom, president of the Parent Teachers Association, treasurer of the Manhasset High School Education Fund, played bridge and tennis and, finally, achieved her great wish of a hole-in-one.
Eileen was very much a “tomboy.” She loved spending her summers on the East End of Long Island, especially on Shelter Island. She was an excellent swimmer and loved to boat, clam and fish and would bait her own hook and cook what she caught. She had a wonderful, smiling disposition and will be missed by friends and family.
A memorial service will be held at All Saints Episcopal Church in Hilton Head on Aug. 16 at 11 a.m. followed by a reception at the church. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be sent to Memory Matters, P.O. Box 22330, Hilton Head, SC 29925 or memory-matters.org.
The Island Funeral Home and Crematory assisted the family: islandfuneralhome.com.
This is a paid notice.
