Eileen B. Joseph

Eileen Berta (Knabe) Joseph, 87, of West Lafayette, IN went to Heaven on Sunday, February 15, 2026. She was born on August 2, 1938 in Knox, Indiana to the late Leo and Mary Knabe.

Eileen attended Knox HS where she graduated top of her class in 1956. She married the love of her life, Carl Joseph, in January of 1958 and started a family shortly after. He preceded her to Heaven on September 15, 2014. She returned to school in 1968 and earned her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from Memorial School of Nursing in South Bend, IN, where, not surprisingly, she was honored with the Spirit of Nursing Award in 1971, which recognizes a nurse who embodies the highest standards of compassionate, patient-centered care and clinical excellence. She later used her nursing skills to care for her sweetheart, Carl, after his heart transplant in 1989. She said it was the greatest honor of her life to be able to care for our dad, and we credit her with helping my dad live 25 extra years after his transplant. They were members of Redeemer Lutheran Church in West Lafayette, where they met so many good friends that loved the Lord.

Our mom was truly a remarkable woman. She was a devout Christian and a student of the Bible. She wouldn't start her day without giving praise and glory to her Father in Heaven. She was a hip and active 87 year-old, wearing her cute little jeans and her red coat. She was faithful to walking everyday with her pedometer on, at least 10,000 steps a day. Eileen was an avid reader and enjoyed having tea and 1/2 cookie at Barnes & Noble. She absolutely loved the birds, especially the Cardinals, and fed them daily, didn't care for the squirrels much though. She loved music and especially loved Neil Diamond. Her and Carl also enjoyed collecting antiques. People might not know that our mom was an excellent writer and poet. She wrote numerous poems for her family over the years that we will cherish. She loved people and would always offer a smile or kind word to everybody she met. More than anything, our mom cherished the time she spent with her family, grandchildren and great grandchildren over the years and was lovingly referred to as Nanny and Oma.

Eileen is survived by her daughters, Lorri (Stephen) Lord and Mindy (Rick) Howard; grandchildren, Christopher Howard, Fritz Lord, and Natalee Lord; and great grandchildren, Carter Howard, Carly Jo Howard, Charlotte Lord, Rhett Lord, and Cindi-Lou Howard.

In addition to her parents and husband, Eileen was preceded in death by two grandchildren, Meredith Amelia Lord and Corey Jacob Howard and we are comforted in knowing that she is reunited with them now and celebrating in Heaven.

We are heartbroken to lose our beloved mother so suddenly and are going to miss her loving presence in our life, but we're sure we will feel her spirit watching over us until the day we join our family again in Heaven. Our loss here on earth is Heaven's gain.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 510 E Lindberg Avenue, West Lafayette, IN on March 14th, 2026, with visitation at 11 am, Service at 12:00 Noon EST, and a luncheon served at the Church following the service.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Eileen's memory to: Redeemer Lutheran Church, the Salvation Army, or the IU Foundation - Jackie O'Donnell Fellowship, PO Box 6460, Indianapolis, IN 46206.

Please share memories and condolences online at www.hippensteelfuneralservice.com