Mrs. Katherine Eileen Hull Wilson

Eileen was born on May 5, 1951 in Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. She was the second oldest of four daughters of Doug and Jean Hull and spent her childhood living at 8 Cliff Street overlooking the Atlantic Ocean .Her sisters are Barbara, Elizabeth and Janet.

I knew Eileen for 41 of her 54 years as she and her family attended the same church, Knox United, as did my family. What I did not know at that young age is that I would spend 35 years with Eileen with almost 30 of those as her husband.

Through her own telling Eileen told me of a wonderful childhood living on Cliff Street. She absolutely loved her parents Doug and Jean and had a lifelong sibling love and admiration for her sisters. She would characterize them using many of their strengths as "her wish she could have received those traits of her sisters". She always said that Barb was the adventurous one and she was swept up with her in many childhood escapades. Barb was also Eileen's "memory of life events" but Eileen thought that history seem to get slightly embellished over time but she always laughed at the memories as Barb told them. For Elizabeth she always wanted to have just a small amount of her planning and organizing skills. But more importantly she loved Liz for always being the first to visit us whenever we moved from city to city. Eileen told me after each visit that it was terrific to see Liz as she remained her most charming and easy house guest. The youngest sister Janet also played a very important part in Eileen's life as Eileen always loved her sense of humour. It always reminded Eileen so much of her father, Doug .Eileen also envied Jan for her wavy hair as Eileen said that her own was always "stringy, straight and yellow".

Eileen attended South Street and Brookside schools before coming to Central school in Grade 8. That is where we became friends. She remembered that her childhood was normal in every way. She played outside and loved to walk along the "cliffs to South Street beach". she attended church , was a member of girl guides, played with her best friend ,Irene Farmakoulous ( she would later say that she had two homes Cliff Street and "Athens on South Street").She was part of school plays and musicals and also a member of the student council. She was a very outgoing, fun loving kid with lots of friends. She loved going to Mira Gut to see uncle Chuckie and family. The Millburn’s and Jala families at

"Hulladays" were always special

Around the age of 8-9 she was diagnosed with Diabetes. Her grandfather was diabetic and she now was asked to live her life with a daily routine of needles and blood testing. From a young age Eileen knew that diabetes would someday be responsible for ending her life but she did not let her diabetes stop her from living her life. And lived it she did---she lived it full of family, friends and faith

As I mentioned Eileen and I became friends in grade 8 at Central School. In fact I walked her home (I lived on York Street) from a dance one cold November night. I distinctly remembered that I did not get a good night kiss as her dad kept flicking on/off the porch light (Eileen later told me that this was her dad's signal to say it was time to come in). However it was too late for me as I had this feeling about Eileen that would never leave me --although it took me another 3-4 years to develop enough courage to ask her to the Grade 12 prom( which she accepted). But throughout high school we stayed as good friends but ran with different friends most of the time. We were both on the School Council together and were in most classes together. We both graduated from Morrison Glace Bay High in 1969.

As things happened we both attended Acadia University in the fall of 1969. It was while we were at Acadia that we starting dating on a regular basis after the first semester --- Eileen always contended that she initiated the events after discussing me with another girl who expressed interest in me and went to see Eileen about me. After describing me, Eileen said she realized that I had all the qualities that she would seek in a person and so it was "fear of losing me" that she decided that her feelings had become more than just "very good friends". For me it was also "fear of losing her to someone else" as I told Eileen. I was shy and did not feel I matched Eileen's outgoing personality and love of life. However, a song by Neil Diamond called "Do It"(which I knew by heart) finally gave me the courage to do something about my feelings for Eileen. The words went something like:

“ Do it, while your soul's still burning

don't hide the yearning away

Say what you have to say

If you let her go, you'll always know

You blew it, so do it

Tell her, just how much you love her

And that no other could do

What she does to you

Cause if you take your time, you’ll always find

You blew it, so do it”

So with Diamond's song in my mind I did it, asked her out and as they say the rest is history. Eileen and I had a terrific time at Acadia over the next 4 years. We attended hockey games, basketball games, football games, dances and classes. I took her to her first horror show “Night of the Living Dead" and she hated horror shows from then on and would not go to any more. Eileen roomed with another friend from high school Arlene Littler. Their last year they moved into an apartment and I remember our first Thanksgiving dinner together as we decided to stay and not go back home at Thanksgiving. We consumed a 15 lb turkey with all the trimmings but had a wonderful weekend

It was during Eileen's first year at Acadia that her father, Doug died from lung cancer. It was a difficult time for her and family.

After graduating from Acadia with a BSc and BEd, Eileen returned to Glace Bay to teach Special Ed classes at Morrison Junior High. I went on to UNB to get a Masters in Chemical Engineering. But by then Eileen and I were "together " and over the next 18 months we kept connected often mainly by Eileen "hitch hiking " from Glace Bay to Fredericton. As she would say later she never assumed anything would happen to her and it didn't !!

However, her diabetes had started to cause some health issues while at Acadia and continued to impact her as she started her teaching. To all of you who knew Eileen this "diabetic thing" was only a mere inconvenience to her. She pursued her life always making light of the diabetes but doing the best she could to prevent the consequences the diabetes took on her body... She would later say to all who got to know her over the years in places like Sarnia, Wheeling and Houston that “You only die once, no sense practising for it and everything else is in God's hands"

I returned to Glace Bay in August 1975 to start work with Atomic Energy of Canada Heavy Water Plant. Eileen and I were married September 27, 1975.

Our honeymoon was a 4 day trip around the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton. Cape Breton was always Eileen's most favourite spot to visit. She maintained this view to the very end in spite of the vacations to many beautiful locations we took over the years. It was "her beloved Cape Breton where family and friends were" that always took her home.

Our lives were blessed with the birth of Paul Nicholas on October 2, 1978. Eileen had spent 33 weeks in the Grace maternity hospital under the care of Dr Tom Martin .Because of her diabetes and physical condition she was a high risk. But in the end through her determination and God's grace Paul was born prematurely but healthy.

In January 1980 Eileen and I made a move to Sarnia, Ontario. We lived there for 14 years before moving to Wheeling, West Virginia in 1994. Then in August 2002 we moved to Houston, Texas.

It was in Sarnia that Eileen began the ongoing commitment to live her life to the fullest through family, friends and faith. She became friends with Vera Lawlor, Ann Del Ben, Kathy Hungerford, Mary Terluk (Brown), Marilyn Willis and Paula Armstrong. Later Karen Morrison (a childhood friend) moved to Sarnia and Eileen reconnected with Karen. The move to Sarnia did not allow early friends to fade away and Eileen kept in touch with Irene and Arlene and through her visits to Cape Breton with Sandra, Eva, Alexis and others. These relationships carried on through the next 25 years through both moves that took her thousands of miles away from Cape Breton. Eileen's second blessed event came in November 1983 when the Sarnia Children’s Aid Society placed Hannah Katherine into her arms, age 5 weeks. I remember that I only had 5 minutes to hold my daughter before Eileen took her back

While living in Sarnia Eileen taught school for several years but her passion was beginning to develop through her church and volunteer work. She always had a strong faith and at Grace United church where we attended she taught Sunday School and worked on the Mission Committee. She also took an interest in children and anything that was associated with them .She had the ability to "act like a child and think like a child when she wanted to connect with kids "and connect she did. She was also active in her community --volunteering her time with the diabetes association, cancer society, heart fund drive etc. But she developed a passion for the YMCA international development committee which she gave countless hours. She worked hard to develop a relationship with Thailand YMCA as well as helping set up the annual drives for funding of the International Development Committee. She also helped establish the Y Peace prize awarded annually to someone who has demonstrated a commitment to peace. She was a member of the YMCA Board of Directors

Meanwhile the diabetes was still at work. Eileen was a brittle diabetic which meant she suffered from very low blood sugars that caused confusion, seizures and sometimes required hospital visits. Her first hip replacement was also done while we lived in Sarnia. However as Eileen told all her family and friends " these are nothing and besides you are all big and ugly enough to handle them--so just buck up and get on with it .I have more important things to do ". And indeed she did for it included organizing birthday parties for her kids (and others) , theme parties at our house on Rutherglen Close, church events , trips to the Pinery, Grand Bend, Stratford for Shakespeare ,Toronto for theatre or weekend getaways, entertaining and the many dinners for friends and family who blessed her life. A special "mission" was the organizing and planning of the many vacations that the Wilson and Lawlor families took over the last 25 years. Eileen would always be planning the next one while Vera was still recovering from the current one. But the memories of trips to the Canadian Rockies , Vancouver, ski trips to Michigan , "world tours" ,dances and beaches, the Pinery , theatre , get togethers, mini vacations etc as well as annual Christmas dinners were a highlight for her and were special times with the Lawlors.

Our move to Wheeling in 1994 allowed Eileen to continue to develop her passion for social outreach. In fact she told me that if she were to go to university again she would take international development for her major. Eileen had found her niche in life --a passion to help those less fortunate than herself. We joined Christ United Methodist Church. Over the next 8 years Eileen devoted herself to many church and community organizations. At church she taught Sunday School, and was on the Mission and Outreach Committee. She took disciple bible ship classes and bible study. She pushed Christ church to do more for those in need both in Wheeling and around the state. She donated clothes and finances to House of the Carpenter. She took on the role of mentor for a welfare family ultimately getting the mother off welfare with a job at Kroger’s. She put on church events like soup luncheons and silent auctions to raise money or set up church events like the drama, The Red Tent. She went on a Mission trip to southern West Virginia to assist the annual work team even though her diabetes and health did not allow her to do much physical work... In short she was active and committed to helping others. She volunteered to teach at Wheeling Park High School declining a paid position as she said "because I can help make a difference in Jake's education (Jake had severe MS) " rather than just make some more money teaching a class of kids She also took on the task of getting Tony back on track to get his GED and encouraging him to make something of his life. She was a very active member of the Wheeling Newcomers Club and loved the book club and all "her special ladies ". There were the annual Ohio Valley Hospital galas as well as Mardi Gras attended. Eileen also was a member of the Canadian Women's Club of Pittsburgh and convinced them to hold their first meeting outside of Pittsburgh at our home in Wheeling. She had an uncanny ability to get people to join her in all sorts of adventures. Her personality was infectious.

And Eileen continued to plan vacations and we attended theatre in Pittsburgh, jazz in Wheeling, Olgebay Park visits, walks in Wheeling Park and the annual Christmas dinner parties on the top of the hill on Jenna Way where we lived. The last Christmas party had over 80 of "Eileen's friends "drop by.

Meanwhile a second hip was replaced at the Cleveland Clinic ---the diabetes continued to march on but Eileen remained the same: live my life with my family, friends, and faith.

Prior to leaving Sarnia our daughter Nan convinced us to acquire a boxer pup. The pup was named "Cape Breton Ceilidh " but shortened and affectionately known as Ceilidh(pronounced Kay-Lee).Eileen and Ceilidh formed a wonderful bond over the next 12 years in Wheeling and Houston. Eileen would later say that it was Ceilidh that kept her physically well through the daily walks that she and Ceilidh took in Olgebay Park, Wheeling Park and our favourite ---out in the "back 40 "behind our house on Jenna Way.

The year 2002 saw us move to Houston Texas and Eileen threw herself into the community and church with her usual passion for social outreach. We joined Gateway Community Church ( a United Methodist church) and soon found a small group to join. In no time she was organizing the small group to do church services for a nearby retirement home as well as getting volunteers and food for food banks and Habitat for Humanity. But Eileen’s passion was for Crossroads, a church based group that helped the homeless in east Houston. Eileen worked there every Tuesday helping in the kitchen cutting up veggies until her hands were so sore they would not work very well. She served food , cleaned up and talked with the people she helped. She also got our small group to donate food and supplies to assist Crossroads as well as organizing a “jeans purchase “ day to get as many free pairs of jeans as she could to “her clients”.

On the home front Eileen worked hard to get a pool and spa installed in our yard as well as all the landscaping. The pride was an orange tree which she was able to sample the sweet oranges in early 2005 ( this year the oranges ripened in time for Christmas 2005 and they were sweet once again). Eileen also got her Texas teaching license and began to do substitute teaching in Alvin . She continued to plan and organize parties and vacations but also started to spend more time in Glace Bay. Her mother’s health had declined and Jean went into Taigh NA Mara nursing home in Glace Bay. Over the last 2-3 years Eileen went home every 3-4 months to visit her mother. In hindsight it also provided her with the wonderful opportunity to reconnect with Barb, Liz and Janet. Upon returning she would tell of the fun times visiting, going to hunt relatives in cemeteries in Cape Breton, talking ,visiting friends, and laughing at stories all from long ago. She truly enjoyed her visits “back home to Cape Breton”.

If social outreach was Eileen’s passion, her unfailing love and devotion was to her children Paul and Nan. Who else but Eileen would spend 33 weeks in a hospital enduring low blood sugars, numerous blood work and a battery of doctors when she knew her odds were less than 50 % to either have a healthy son or her own problems. As usual Eileen won the bet and Paul Nicholas was born Oct 2, 1978. Likewise it was Eileen’s determination and outright refusal to accept no from the Children’s Aid Society in Sarnia when we applied for adoption that gave us our next blessing. Eileen's medical condition as well as the fact that we had a baby gave her little chance of getting a second child but once again Eileen beat the odds of government paperwork and protocol and our daughter Hannah Katherine ( born Oct 16 1983) was put in her arms on Nov 20, 1983 . She then provided both Paul and Nan with total unfailing love, nurturing and devotion for the rest of her life. Eileen took a break from teaching to be with both Paul and Nan as they grew up. She took them to the YMCA for all sorts of programs, they went to Rutherglen beach ( Sarnia) during the summer, had picnics on the Close, had theme parties, dress up for birthdays and Halloweens and lots of soccer games and swim lessons as well as Nan’s judo and curling . She also told them that she would probably traumatize them via low blood sugars and she kept her word. Both Paul and Nan became aware of their mum’s diabetes at an early age and to their credit I cannot remember them complaining about the 911 phone calls they made or as they got older the help they both gave their mum when her diabetes went astray.

And so for 35 years Eileen and I lived a wonderful life. Eileen had such a passion for life and "an adventurous spirit" that we decided that we had to see as much as we could . We did not want to wait for retirement as Eileen would say : " I do not plan to live to be a grand old dame ".

So travel we did . Eileen lived, worked and volunteered in two countries and four cities/towns. Eileen lived in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia; Sarnia, Ontario; Wheeling, West Virginia and Houston, Texas. She traveled across Canada and the United States exploring such cities as Halifax, Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver , New York, Pittsburgh, Charleston, Orlando,Cleveland, San Antonio,Santa Fe, San Francisco and even Las Vegas to name a few. She had the opportunity to “swim “in the Atlantic, Pacific, Great lakes, North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. Besides Canada and the US she traveled to the Bahamas, England, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece, Portugal and France.

Eileen and I have strolled through the Canadian Rockies, the white mountains of Vermont, the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia, the Olympic Mountains outside Seattle and the Austrian and Italian Alps. Over the years we have stood on top of the Empire State Building, strolled Times Square, the Statute of Liberty , climbed to the tea room at Lake Agnes outside Banff, took the train to see the colours at Agawa canyon, strolled through Stanley park in Vancouver and marvelled at Buchart Gardens in Victoria ; been to Disneyland , the Bandolier Monument in New Mexico, walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, toured the Napa wine region , been to the Greenbrier in West Virginia, walked in Death Valley , crossed the Hoover dam and she even lost 75 cents in the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas.

Eileen loved live theatre and we attended many over the years from the Rowdy Man , A Man for All Seasons the Buddy Holly Story to Les Miserables, Tommy, Ragtime,Cats ,Mamma Mia ,Jeckell and Hyde to Rent , the Vagina Monologues and Chicago just to name a few .We attended theatre in London,England Toronto ,New York , Houston ,San Francisco as well as many local small theatre groups in the places close to where we lived. We took in many of Shakespeare 's plays in Stratford, Ontario as well as Bernard Shaw’s in Niagara on the Lake. Of all the theatre productions attended Eileen’s favourite was Les Miserables--- those of you who know Eileen understand her choice given the theme of this production

Eileen and I have seen many fascinating cities of Europe --- London, Paris, Lisbon, Cologne, Bonn, Heidelbourg,Munich,Innsbruck, Venice, and Athens to name a few. We have traveled up the Champ d’Lysee, strolled arm and arm along the Seine and gazed out at Paris from the Eiffel Tower. We have been to Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London , have seen the cliffs of Dover, the Cotswolds of England, the mighty Thames river. We have toured the great museums of London and Paris. We have taken gondolas rides in Venice, toured castles and churches in Germany and Portugal, ate wonderful meals along the Rhine ; driven from Lisbon to the Algarve and from Paris to Provence. We have seen Athens from on top of the Acropolis and visited Greek islands.

In spite of all her travels Eileen always returned to her beloved Cape Breton --- the Cabot trail, Black Rock beach, Ingonish , Mary Ann Falls, White Point, Cheticamp, Louisbourg, the Mira, St Peters, the Margaree river valley , Denys Mountain and the Bras D’Or Lakes. This was home and her heart always returned here to her family and friends.

Complications from her diabetes finally won its battle with Eileen’s body on July 4, 2005 as she was visiting her mother in Cape Breton. She was buried on her beloved Cape Breton Island on July 8, 2005.

In this life success is defined many ways --- the size of your home, the power you wield , the status you achieve , the people you hang out with , the money you have but Eileen achieved the true meaning of success. She knew that success in this life was defined simply as "giving back more than you received". She indeed was successful .She always felt that she had received much in her life , that her life was one blessed with a great family , terrific friends and a faith that glued it all together. I was blessed to be able to share 35 years of her life and was honoured that she chose me to share her life . To me Eileen has been a childhood friend, a high school buddy, a university lover, a spouse , a companion , a confident and a soul mate.

She leaves her legacy in her children Paul and Nan , her family , her many friends as well as those lives she had encountered over her life. I would like to quote a passage from the Bible , a book that Eileen studied and used as her guide in her life. The passage is from 2 Timothy 4.

"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. "

Eileen did indeed fight the good fight and finished the race. Now may you rest in peace with your God. With much love and great affection your "boyfriend" Kirk