Eileen Mary McDermott

1956 - 2025

Eileen Mary McDermott

February 3, 1956 - April 29, 2025

Eileen Mary McDermott, a wonderful woman who lived a wonderful life, left us on March 29 - way too soon! - after a valiant battle with cancer. Eileen's legions of friends, admirers, and family members are heartbroken over her death, so let's focus instead on her beautiful life.

Eileen was born in Cincinnati, the youngest of four children, the favorite of her parents and siblings. When she was still a baby, the family moved to Connecticut, where Eileen began her lifelong habit of making lifelong friends. She attended Georgetown University and went on to earn an MBA at Columbia University in New York City, all the while making good friends. After school, she went to work for Altria in NYC, eventually becoming Vice President of Finance. And it was in New York that she met and married her great love, Harvey Rottenberg, who was at her side for the next 26 years until his death in 2016. The two divided their time between their city apartment and country home in Westbrookville. Eventually, Eileen's firm moved its U.S. headquarters to Richmond, Virginia, and Eileen and Harvey followed, then surprised themselves by falling in love with Virginia. When they weren't enjoying their new home, they traveled, from the beaches of Malibu to the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, and on to Israel, Italy, and Ireland. And they loved to entertain, hosting friends at dinner parties and BBQs, attending concerts and art exhibits. And everywhere they went, there was always good conversation and always laughter.

After Harvey died, Eileen did not slow down; she did more traveling and threw herself into new interests like working for the USO, volunteering at Richmond's Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, helping out at the ASPCA, and serving charitable groups like The Salvation Army and Feed More. Eileen knew she had a wonderful life, and she always tried to give back.

And oh, is she missed – by all her relatives including her sister, Anne Geers; brother, Roger McDermott; brother-in-law, Michael Murray; stepson, Ariel Spindell; nieces, Cecilia Geers, Caitlin (Julia) Oderda, Mary Rose (Kevin) Carey; and great nieces and nephews, Owen, Elliott and Margaret Oderda and Mac and John Carey. Eileen is also missed by her great friends, Cate, Carole, Melissa, and way too many others to mention.

Eileen doesn't need flowers, but if you like, consider supporting one of the charities she loved.

You did good, Eileen. Rest easy. We love you.