Eileen Lamartina

Celebrating the Life of Eileen Lamartina

“Oh hey, hon.”

If you knew Eileen, that greeting probably still echoes in your heart. It was her signature hello—warm, familiar, and always said like she’d just been waiting for you to walk through the door. In those three simple words, she gave you comfort, love, and the feeling that you were right where you belonged.

Eileen would have turned 75 this July. She and her beloved Larry shared 55 wonderful years of marriage—building a life filled with love, laughter, and the kind of family that sticks together through everything. They raised two amazing kids, Lisa and Tony, and welcomed their “bonus son” Dan into the family. And then there was Caitlin—her granddaughter and the absolute joy of her life. Eileen couldn’t get enough of Caitlin’s stories—school updates, college plans, which friends were visiting—she wanted to hear it all, and she remembered every word.

Eileen was the fourth of eight children in a big, proud Irish family. The kind of family where the volume was high, the humor was sharp, and the love was endless. And when she married Larry, she didn’t just gain a husband—she joined another beautifully tangled family where her sister married his brother. Holidays were a wonderful kind of chaos, full of overlapping conversations and second helpings.

She cherished life’s quiet pleasures: porch swing chats with Larry and their sweet dog, Woody… the joy of digging into her rug hooking projects… getting her hands dirty in the garden… and getting lost in a good book. And let’s not forget her many, many lunch dates with her dear friends—because Eileen didn’t just have a group of friends, she had groups. She showed up for people, and people showed up for her.

She loved deeply. Laughed often. Listened well. Whether you were a relative, a friend, or a neighbor, she made you feel like family. That was her gift—and her legacy.

Now, we picture her in peaceful heaven, reunited with her beloved sisters Gereen and Maureen. Probably already catching up, probably already laughing.

And here’s what we know for sure: we’ll miss Eileen in big ways, in small ways, and in all the quiet medium ways in between. But even more than the missing, we’ll carry deep gratitude for the imprint she left on our lives. Her love shaped us. Her presence grounded us. And her spirit—strong, kind, and unmistakably hers—will live on in the way we care for each other, tell a good story, or welcome someone in with warmth.

We may not feel her every day, but in little moments, in quiet pieces, we’ll find her. And in that, there’s both peace and the reminder that someone so special never really leaves.

“Oh hey, hon.” We’ll never stop hearing it. And we’ll never stop being thankful for you.