Mary Eileen Fernandini

On Thursday, March 9, 2023, Mary “Eileen” Fernandini, a beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend passed away. She was seventy years old. Born to Hugh and Eleanor Phelps on January 5, 1953, in Baltimore, MD, Eileen graduated from Archbishop Keough High School and Catonsville Community College, where she earned her nursing degree.

While working as a nursing assistant at Bon Secours Hospital, she met Oscar Fernandini, a doctor from Peru who became her husband of nearly forty five years. After finishing nursing school, she worked as a nurse at Bon Secours Hospital for over forty years. After raising their family in Ellicott City, Eileen and Oscar retired to Millsboro, DE.

Eileen was best known for her quick-witted humor, fierce determination, and generous spirit. She is preceded in death by her husband Oscar, and is survived by their daughter Kim Diamond and her husband Rick, son Eric and his partner Heather, and their grandchildren Abby, Ricky, Dylan, Marie, and Lizzie.

A memorial service to celebrate Eileen’s life will be held on Saturday, March 18, 2023, at 11 a.m. at the Bon Secours Retreat and Conference Center, 1525 Marriottsville Road, Marriottsville, MD 21104.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those who are able make a donation to the Sisters of Bon Secours (1525 Marriottsville Road, Marriottsville, MD 21104) or to the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in support of the lung cancer research of Dr. Joseph Murray (Kimmel Cancer Center Development Office, 750 East Pratt Street, Suite 1700, Baltimore MD 21202 or https://secure.jhu.edu/form/kimmel)

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sterlingashtonschwabwitzke.com for the Fernandini family.