Eileen Elizabeth Minnich

Eileen Minnich—beloved wife, mother and friend—has passed away at the age of 85. Eileen died peacefully on Oct. 18 following a lengthy battle against Alzheimer’s disease. Her husband, Hal, passed away two weeks earlier.

Eileen was born on May 9, 1938, in a house on West 21st Street in Lorain. She was the fourth of seven children born to Hugh—a steelworker who had immigrated from Scotland—and Catherine (Krautter) Downie. Eileen attended Lorain St. Mary High School. She met her future husband of 62 years at a CYO function for young adults. Eileen and Hal raised four children in a house on Preston Avenue in Elyria: Dan (Kathy) of Westerville, Ohio; David (Yolanda) of Lorain; Ann Marie Hamilton of Concord, Ohio; and Steven (Laura) of Columbus.

Eileen was a devout Catholic whose priorities were faith, family and friends. A devoted mother, Eileen volunteered for countless school projects tied to her children’s activities and rarely missed their sporting events. She was a strong proponent of education, so much so that her children earned a total of six college degrees.

“Mom was a special person, the glue that held our family together,” said her son David. “She was kind to everyone, and the best mom anyone could ask for.”

A longtime member of St. Jude Catholic Church who worked at the parish school, Eileen would bake a lamb-shaped cake for the nuns and priests of the parish at Easter. She was an accomplished cook, with specialties ranging from homemade pizza and lasagna to pistachio cake and frosted cutout Christmas cookies. Eileen was known for making a dessert nearly every day for her family and guests. Her hospitality and that of Hal was widely known. Her children have heard from many friends over the years about how welcome they felt when visiting the Minnich home.

Eileen greatly enjoyed attending her prayer group and reading religious publications. She also looked forward to functions organized by an informal, women’s club consisting of neighbors and friends. This group attended plays and other performances at LCCC, Playhouse Square and other venues.

Eileen was fiercely proud of her Scotch-Irish heritage. She and her sisters would offer impromptu performances of the Scottish sword dance at family gatherings, to the delight of all, and Eileen attended many of Cleveland’s St. Patrick’s Day parades. She often recalled a trip to Scotland made with her father and sisters.

Eileen was especially close to her siblings. Her children have fond memories of family gatherings with their aunts, uncles and cousins virtually every weekend while growing up. Her siblings and their spouses were some of Eileen’s and Hal’s best friends.

Eileen is survived by her four children; sisters, Kate (Tony) Downie Gombach of Lorain, Marge (Robert) Leghart of Amherst, Laura (Frank) Leon of Lorain, and Rosemary (Thomas) Hesmond of Avon; and sister-in-law, Sharon (Fred) Downie of Lorain.  She is also survived by grandchildren, Matt, Bowen, Emery, Wyatt, Piper, Jon, Sgt. Spec Ops Sean Minnich, Reese and Benjamin Hamilton; and by one great-grandchild.

Eileen is preceded in death by her husband, Hal; her parents; and brothers, Hugh and Fred Downie.

The family will receive friends on Monday, Oct. 23, at 9:30 a.m., in the chapel at the back of St. Jude Catholic Church, 590 Poplar Street, Elyria.  A funeral Mass will be held in the church at 10:30 a.m., with Interment at St. Mary Cemetery, 7284 Lake Avenue, Elyria, at 12:00 p.m.

Reichlin Roberts Bollinger Funeral Home is assisting the family.

www.reichlinrobertsbollinger.com