Eileen Ruth Low

Eileen Ruth Low died peacefully in the home of her daughter, Karen, while in her loving care on August 6th, 2020. She was a couple months shy of her 90th birthday. With God’s grace her mind was sharp until the end. Even in the face of knowing her time was closing, she found moments to laugh and smile. She had lived a simple life; one rich with laughter and less tears, and one dedicated to country, community and especially family!

Eileen Ruth Clark was born in a small town in upstate New York on October 19th, 1930, the child of Kenneth and Ruth Clark. She grew up during the Great Depression and her childhood knew its share of hardship. Eileen was determined to go to college in an era where few women did. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 1952 with a degree in Health and Nutrition. Upon graduation she joined the army as a Dietician and an officer. She eventually came to be stationed at Fort Ord Army Base in Monterey, California. It was there she met an Army Captain by the name of Frederick Low. Eileen resigned her army commission and the two were married May 5th, 1956 in Fort Hood Texas. Fred’s career in the Army would take them from Fort Hood Texas, to Fort McClellan in Alabama, and back to Fort Ord with a few overseas tours in the mix, eventually settling in Fresno, Ca. Fred retired from the army in 1966 and worked a few jobs before eventually retiring for good. Eileen decided to go to work at this point. She started as a bank teller at Bank of America in Fresno. She was promoted to Vault teller, and she worked in that position until she retired in the 1990’s.

Eileen and Fred together had 5 children and raised that family in a small house on Princeton Avenue in Fresno. The house was small, but the neighborhood was vibrant and full of young families. At the center of the neighborhood was a Catholic Church and school, Our Lady of Victory. Eileen and Fred and their children thrived in this community and neighborhood and made so many enduring and life-long friends. Eileen and Fred were dedicated to their community and did a lot of volunteer work for the Church and School. Even after Fred passed in 1978, Eileen was a fixture every Sunday at OLV attending mass, counting money, playing bridge with her church groups, and being the treasurer for the Ladies Guild. She loved the families and Children of that Church and neighborhood, and she took great delight in the successes and accomplishments of many of the kids that she had watched grow up with her own children.

Eileen was a happy person, and she loved to laugh. She greeted you with a smile, she didn’t gossip, she tried to see the good in most everybody, and she rarely spoke poorly of anyone. She was of a generation more grounded in faith, duty and spirit and less on material. She accepted her lot in life, and had a quiet resolve to make the best of what she had. Above all, she loved her family. There was no problem she wouldn’t help, and no cause that was so lost that she wouldn’t keep trying. She is survived by her Sister, Nancy Paddon; 5 children; 13 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren and counting. God Bless and thank you Eileen from all of us!