Eileen Cooney

1924 - 2019

Stonington - Eileen (Newton) Cooney, 95, of Stonington passed away Dec. 18, 2019, after a brief illness.

She was born in Hartford Feb. 8, 1924, the daughter of Granville Newton and Gertrude (Delahanty) Newton and lived most of her life in Hartford with her late husband, Henry Francis Cooney, and nine children, Mary Eileen Cooney (deceased), Eugene A. Cooney of Southington, Vincent DePaul Cooney (deceased), Stephen Joseph Cooney (deceased), David Michael Cooney (deceased), Thomas Moore Cooney of Pennsburg, Pa., William Newton Cooney of Cromwell, Christine Marie Cooney of Stonington and Henry Francis Cooney Jr. of Naples, Fla. In addition, she leaves seven grandchildren.

In her youth, Eileen was a regular communicant at St. Peter's Church in Hartford where she sang in the choir and first met her future husband, Henry. After marrying, she and Henry were active members of the St. Lawrence O'Toole Church parish in Hartford. In her later years she found great peace in attending mass and receiving communion at the Chapel of Our Lady of the Assumption on Enders Island. Eileen was an indefatigable worker throughout her life. During World War II, she worked at Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford. After marrying and raising her large family, she was active in teaching secretarial courses for many years. She moved to Stonington following her husband's death to be closer to the shore she so loved. Eileen could often be found in silent prayer during lengthy walks on the Connecticut and Rhode Island beaches.

Her family will receive relatives and friends from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 23, at the Mystic Funeral Home on Route 1 in Mystic. A Mass of Christian burial will follow at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick Church, 32 East Main St., Mystic. A short reception will immediately follow the mass at the Parish Hall. Her burial will take place in the afternoon at 2 p.m. Monday, at Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery, Cottage Grove Road, in Bloomfield.