Eileen Marie McLaren

Eileen Marie McLaren was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. It would be accurate to say that this woman was an outstanding luminary and that her natural abilities served her well. She knew with certainty how she wanted to set priorities in all aspects of her life. She struck those who knew her as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what she expected from her day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Eileen was a woman who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, Eileen would set about immediately to create it.

Eileen was born on December 26, 1964 at Daniel Freeman Hospital in Inglewood, California. Her parents were Jim and Colleen McLaren. Eileen was raised in Gardena and Arcadia, California. Eileen was brought up to be reasonable in her actions and was taught to use her intellect wisely. She was an honest and straightforward child, traits that reinforced her self-confidence. Even at a young age, Eileen was credited with having a positive influence on those around her.

The positive atmosphere that Eileen generated spread to her family. Eileen was raised with four siblings. She had three older sisters, Lynn, Kerry and Colleen and one older brother, Mark. Eileen served as a catalyst within the family. She often found herself in the role of providing fair solutions to those sibling disputes. In every family activity, Eileen was able to demonstrate her uncommon logic and skill at building compromise.

Eileen's enthusiasm for learning and the personal energy that enthusiasm generated led to her exhibiting leadership qualities early on in her childhood. She liked to see things executed properly and showed a skill for taking control of situations that were drifting out of control. At the same time, she was willing to experiment with different approaches as she worked a plan towards a solution. As a young girl, she took part in drama. She was a Brownie and Girl Scouts. In her spare time she liked crossword puzzles, loved to cook, recipe books.

When it came to academics and school, Eileen's organizational skills reaped dividends. Eileen was able to create a system for getting her class work done in a proper and timely manner. With a strong ability to analyze her schoolwork and assignments, she could apply a practical, common sense approach completing her studies. She showed a natural curiosity in the manner in which she tackled new types of problems and would regularly challenge her own reasoning ability in finding solutions. She received her GED in 1982.

In a group of friends and acquaintances, Eileen was typically the first person to take the initiative to go up and greet someone new. That quality made her very approachable by others throughout her life. This same quality brought Eileen the reward of many friends. Maintaining loyalty to those friends was a trait that came naturally to Eileen. She believed that she should treat others in a fair manner, in the same way she wanted to be treated. Eileen also showed a great deal of appreciation for the accomplishments of her friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were Chris Valenzuela and Gina Wood. Later in life, she became friends with Chris Valenzuela.

As Eileen knew in other aspects of her life, she had a clear vision of what she sought in a relationship and worked hard to achieve it. On September 15, 1990 Eileen exchanged wedding vows with Huben Clemente. Huban was a significant part of her life, and it wasn’t necessary for Eileen to be overly sentimental or expressive about it for others to be aware of their mutual devotion. Eileen's secret to success was that she always kept the lines of communication open in the marriage and applied the important skill of being a good listener.

At work Eileen was viewed as a natural leader. She could marshal all of the available resources, including personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. She was great at developing strategies and made maximum progress with little wasted effort. Eileen was also adept at uncovering new and more efficient ways of getting things done. She was able to establish and meet objectives and schedules through long range planning and was always able to keep the big picture clearly in sight. Although Eileen might have been described by some as an overachiever, she was without question a dedicated and diligent employee. Her primary occupation was insurance sales broker. She was employed for 10 years.

Not only did Eileen find pleasure in pursuing her various hobbies, she also enjoyed the discovery and research involved in learning about them. Her skill at problem solving had a positive influence on these activities as well. Her favorite pursuits were reading recipes and cooking. She was great to journal every day.

No matter what the activity was, Eileen had the ability to motivate others. This talent influenced her participation in sports, too. She sought out the possibilities in a competitive situation, and she stayed cool and calm under pressure. She relished the stimulation of the action and energy associated with sports. In high school, Eileen loved to fish. Recreational sports included fishing. She was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed following her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity.

Eileen's ability to motivate, direct and organize others made her a valuable asset to the organizations to which she contributed during her lifetime. Eileen was one who could be counted on to work hard to implement goals and required little to begin work on a specific task. Once a project was begun, Eileen had a definite methodology for seeing it through to completion. In high school, Eileen was a member of drama.

Eileen was a woman who took pride in upholding her beliefs. Politically, Eileen was a Democrat.

Eileen lived her life guided by a well-defined set of beliefs. Her faith and religion were important aspects of those beliefs. She was a member of the Catholic Church. She attended Maria Regina Catholic School until grade 4 and was a member of Holy Angels until she was 16.

Traveling, especially vacations, was another way for Eileen to apply her exceptional leadership and organizational skills. She liked exploring different places but also enjoyed designing and scheduling the trips in advance. She had real talent for developing the perfect itineraries. She loved Hawaii and had a dream of one day she would live there.

Eileen was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Her family was rounded out by her dog, Chuey.

Eileen passed away on December 13, 2010 at Citrus Valley Hospice in West Covina, California. She is survived by father and mother, James and Colleen, her sisters, Lynn, Kerry and Colleen, her brother Mark, her nieces and nephews Heather, Alyse, Coreen, Karlie, Jenny, Joe and Michael. Services were held at Custer Christiansen Chapel in Covina, California.

Eileen Marie McLaren knew what she wanted from life and never hesitated in going after it. She could be characterized as driven individual, someone who understood the importance of achievement. Eileen was decisive and outspoken at times but was also positive and upbeat about most things. She was a leader, both intentionally and sometimes by default. If she saw that something needed to be done, she was always ready to step up and actualize, organize and implement a plan.