Eileen Molloy Mann

Eileen Molloy Mann, age 81, of Little River, South Carolina, passed away on May 7, 2025. She was born in The Bronx, New York, on October 3, 1943, to the late John “Jack” Molloy and Alice Fogarty. Although she was a city girl at heart, as a child she spent her summers at Lake Hopatcong in a cottage built by her father. She attended Mount Saint Ursula Academy and Hunter College in NYC, where she met many lifelong friends. She married her first husband, Kevin J. Reilly, in 1966 and together they shared three children, of whom she was very proud.

A tenacious single mother, she juggled her work and education while raising three young children before meeting her soulmate and the love of her life, George Mann, in 1982. She frequently remarked, “happiness is being married to your best friend” and she found that happiness and so much more with George. The two wed on July 5, 1985, and combined their families for a total of six loving children. Together they moved their brood into a house on Oak Street in Ridgewood, NJ, and later lived as empty nesters in a penthouse apartment in Hackensack, NJ, before retiring to their condo in North Myrtle Beach in 1999 and then settling in Little River, SC. She was a long-time parishioner of Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, where she served as a Eucharistic minister, was a charter member of the Columbiettes, and was active in the Ladies’ Guild.

She filled her free time attending book clubs, her weekly mahjong matches, and taking in shows with friends. She was a lover of word games, especially the daily crossword, and more recently, Wordle, where she was a fierce competitor. As a doting “Gram”, she was an active supporter of her grandchildren’s activities and a loving presence in their lives. She never needed a reason to give small tokens of her love to those around her, and her generous spirit will live on each time her friends and family gift one another a “happy-happy”.

She is survived by her husband, George; her children, Kevin J. Reilly of Guilford, CT, Eileen Reilly Gibbs of Longs, SC, and Matthew C. Reilly of Delray Beach, FL; her “bonus” children, Brian (Tracey) Mann of Wake Forest, NC, Jeff (Donna) Mann of Hillsdale, NJ, and Sherry (Darrell) Olmstead of Maryland Heights, MO; her grandchildren, Emily (Matt) Taylor, Justin (Missy) Mann, Andrew “AJ” Mann, Paige Olmstead, Allison “Allie” Reilly, and Madeline “Maddie” Reilly; her great-granddaughter, Maeve Taylor; and her beloved shih zhu, Buddy.

A visitation will be held from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM with a prayer service at 6:00 PM on Friday, May 9, 2025, at Lee Funeral Home and Crematory. The funeral mass for Mrs. Mann will occur at 11:00 AM on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church.

Donations may be made to Kind Keeper Animal Rescue, https://checkout.shelterluv.com/donate/KKSC or any no kill shelter of ones choice.