Eileen O'Neill

Eileen O’Neill was born on November 7th, 1949 to Frank and Catherine Bartley. She grew up in Huntington, New York and was sixth in the line of her brothers and sisters; Frank, Tom, Cathy, Terry, Pat and Judi. Her family suffered the loss of their father when Eileen was only sixteen years old. They all bonded together, and Eileen bravely continued on with her studies at Huntington High School. She worked as a secretary for a law firm in Huntington Village, and saved up enough to buy her cherished yellow convertible GTO.

Soon after graduation, Eileen got married, left her home and moved to California. It was here that she put down roots, both at her house on Hersholt, and in her second home at St. Cyprian Church. It was here that she raised her five daughters; Jakki, Stacy, Jennifer, Mary and Gina. Eileen was an amazing mother. She made sure there was never any doubt to her girls how much she loved them. She sacrificed any way she could to ensure they were all well loved and taken care of. She made sure that even after she became a single parent to five girls, they all got individual attention. She made every effort to not let her girls miss out on anything. She took them camping, cheered at every soccer game, came to every competition, swimming practice, Christmas program…no matter what the event, she was there. She played the “Yes” game on special occasions, where no matter what the girls’ asked for, she simply smiled, and said “Yes”.

Eileen had felt an instant sense of belonging in her parish family, and developed some everlasting friendships. She taught all her daughters the importance of having a relationship with Jesus, and encouraged that by giving them a Catholic education at St. Cyprian School. She immersed her and her daughters in her parish family by becoming involved in several ministries such as bible studies, prayer groups, RCIA and becoming a Eucharistic Minister.

Eileen supported her family during that time by building up an in home daycare that she ran for nearly 15 years. She wanted to be sure to make a living doing something where she was not only home to be near her girls, but also to be able to make a difference in other children’s lives as well.

As her kids grew up and became more independent, Eileen started praying to find someone to come and share her life with. God listened, and blessed her with Jim, who came in and finally made her life complete. Together, Jim and Eileen got a renewed zest in life. They became involved in even more aspects of St. Cyprian’s, including running the Confirmation program for two years and later went on to start Feed the Hungry. Jim encouraged her to follow her idea of becoming a massage therapist, because she wanted to find another profession where she could help other people. She became certified and thoroughly enjoyed traveling around and giving massages. She refused to make much of a profit, always truly believing that making other people feel better was the real reward.

Eileen and Jim had only nine years together before he passed away of cancer. In that time, Eileen was the happiest she had ever been. They had taken up many new hobbies, and their favorite was dancing. If they heard a song they liked, they would stop wherever they were, and just start dancing; in the aisles of a grocery store, on the side of the road, anywhere! Jim had been an answered prayer to her, a reminder that “With God, all things are possible.”

After Jim’s passing, Eileen took over full time care of her mother. She moved her into her home when her mom needed constant help and cared for her for several years until she too passed away. After losing her mother, Eileen became passionate about caring for the sick and the elderly. She started bringing communion to the sick, and was always surrounding herself with people she could help care for.

Once again on her own, Eileen took the opportunity to begin traveling. She flew all over the country visiting her siblings on the East Coast, her daughters and their families, Jim’s kids and all her grandchildren. Eileen loved being around her family, they were most definitely the light in her life.

In 2010, Eileen was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. Instead of asking “Why me?”, she turned to God and prayed for the patience and grace to deal with her illness. She fought hard to recover from the surgery and chemotherapy. She never doubted her faith in God, trusting completely in His plan for her. She showed incredible strength and courage, and was blessed with her remission after almost a year. During that time, Eileen decided to live very day to the fullest. She got in her car and drove across the country by herself, stopping to visit all her family members scattered across the U.S. She made several of these trips, sometimes with friends or family along for the ride, sometimes without. She visited several missions and various churches, and even through all her travels, she always made it a point to make it to mass every morning, no matter where she was.

After two more recurrences of her cancer, Eileen decided to embark on one last adventure. She sold her family home she had lived in for thirty-five years, said goodbye to all her friends and church family and moved to Texas. It was an emotional decision that she prayed endlessly about. She loved the life she had made at home and at St. Cyprian, but eventually decided that God’s plan was leading her on this final journey.

It was there that Eileen was given the heartbreaking news that her cancer had spread, and that medicine could no longer help. She accepted this news, once again with grace and understanding, and allowed herself to be left in the Lord’s hands. Her entire family showed their support by coming to visit and enveloping Eileen with love and prayer. She spent her last days with her five daughters who surrounded her with the same unconditional love that she had given them all their lives. On November 5th, Eileen was called home to Heaven where she has finally found her peace, and is rejoicing with the Lord.

Eileen was the most generous, kind hearted and faith driven woman many of us have had the pleasure of knowing. May we all find peace in knowing that we were all a part of her story, and she is looking down on us now, smiling with joy at finally being with Jesus.

Please sign the guest book at www.luybenfamilyd-m.com

Luyben Family Dilday-Mottell Mortuary (562) 425-6401