Eileen B. Wright

1942 - 2020

Eileen B. Wright

Eileen B. Wright died May 3, 2020, at hospice in Ithaca, NY, a month after suffering a stroke. She was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on January 19, 1942, the youngest of Denis and Agnes Westwell's (nee Montgomery) three children. The family moved to England when Eileen was 11 due to the poor health of her mother who died a year later.

That premature loss of her Mum inspired Eileen to become a nurse. At 16, she went to live and study at Burnley Victoria Hospital in Lancashire, UK to become a registered nurse, then a staff nurse. At Burnley, Eileen cared for Alec Wright, a patient who'd been injured on a rock climbing adventure in the Lake District. One year later, they married in 1964 and three years later emigrated back and forth across the pond to New York, Canada, and back to England following Alec's work as a mechanical engineer. In 1976, they settled for good in Ithaca, NY. Here they raised their son, Michael, and became naturalized citizens.

Eileen was a mother and homemaker but also did copious civic duty. She served on the Ithaca PTA, the Danby Community Council and the Tompkins County Office of Aging Advisory Committee. She was a long time volunteer for the Ithaca Festival and Food Bank of the Southern Tier-Danby Community Church.

Eileen leaves behind many friends who will remember her hospitality. If you were throwing a party, you could count on Eileen to host it. She made her annual Memorial Day and 4th of July picnics and Christmas Eve Mimosa Breakfast must-attend events. She was also generous with advice -- whether you wanted it or not.

In addition to her loving husband, Alec, son Michael, and daughter-in-law Heather, Eileen is survived by her sister, Denise Rogers of Cornwall, UK, brother Derek Westwell (Catherine) of Yorkshire, UK, and many nieces and nephews who will miss her phone calls and correspondence. Her brother-in-law, Malcolm Rogers of Cornwall, UK predeceased her.

Eileen would be the first one to say: "Don't be silly enough to miss me." But we most certainly will. A Celebration of Life will be planned when COVID stops dictating our lives. In the meantime, Eileen would want you to enjoy family, friends, and nature. Feel free to contribute in Eileen's name to Hospicare and Palliative Care Service of Ithaca. She would have liked that.