Shirley Jean Eagan

EAGAN, SHIRLEY JEAN

Shirley Jean Eagan, a registered nurse and former Coordinator of Volunteer Services who served on the Board of Directors for the local Washington, DC chapter of Planned Parenthood, passed away October 1, 2004. She and her late husband R. Russell Eagan (partner at the Washington law firms of Kirkland & Ellis and later Wiley & Rein) were long time residents of Bethesda, MD. She was born in 1920 in Chicago, IL, attended Iowa State University and nursed at St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago.

She moved with her husband to the Washington, DC area after World War II, residing for over 50 years until her death at age 83 of pneumonia. She was a longtime member of Congressional Country Club where she enjoyed playing tennis and bowling. As the mother of four children she was active in the PTA's at Radnor Elementary, Pyle Junior High and Walt Whitman High schools. In addition to her volunteer work with Planned Parenthood, she also taught Sunday school at Cedar Lane Unitarian Church.

One of her great joys was spending time with her family at her summer home in Ocean Pines, MD, where she often played tennis with her husband and friends. A devoted homemaker and avid cook with a flair for entertaining, she was well known for her Swedish specialties during the Christmas holidays and on New Year's Day.

Her five grandchildren became the light of her life during the last fifteen years. She loved to visit with them at her home or in Maine, California and New York. She is also survived by her four children, Wendy Eagan of Bethesda, MD; Russell N. Eagan of Los Angeles, CA; J. Roger Eagan of Glens Falls, NY and Elizabeth Beaven of Portland, ME.

A Memorial Service will be held at Cedar Lane Unitarian Church on April 1, 2005 at 11 a.m. with an inurnment to follow at Arlington National Cemetery that afternoon at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Shirley J. Eagan Memorial Fund, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 434 W. 33rd Street, New York, NY 10001.