Eileen Groat Oelschlager

After a long struggle with the after-effects and pain of a stroke, Eileen Groat Oelschlager of Ashland, VA, formerly of Cheverly, MD, died on November 12, 2013. She joined her beloved husband Frank and dog Cisco. Most recently, Eileen was a very creative graphic designer who helped develop and install exhibits, including the ones at College Park Aviation Museum in Prince George County, MD. She loved sailing the Chesapeake Bay and inland waterways with Frank in their Westsail “Morning Mist,” anchoring overnight in their favorite coves. She also loved her garden, bugs, and rescue dogs.

Born Dec 15, 1946 in Chillicothe, OH, and raised in the town of Fairfax, VA, Eileen received a BA in English from Michigan State. As a child, she spent her summers in Roxabelle, OH, on grandma and grandpa Marie and Edward Anderson’s farm along with her two sisters, her cousin Nancy Seyfang, and her Uncle Buddy (Marlin) Anderson.

Her husband, Frank R. Oelschlager, her parents Marvin J. and Berneice Anderson Groat, and her uncle Buddy pre-deceased her. Eileen is survived by her sisters, Rosanne Groat Shalf (Jerome) and Susan Groat Burwell (Earle), by her nephew John Shalf (Yuching Ni) and their children Mimi and Aaron, by her niece, Sarah Shalf (Darren Summerville) and their child Court, and by her exchange student sister Hilke Habermann (Han Heemskerk). She is also survived by Ohio cousins Nancy Seyfang Wisecup (Bryon), Kent Anderson (Sally), and Timothy Seyfang (Debbie), by Michigan cousins Barbara Groat, Kathy Herman, Beth Maschewske, Ginger Toomey, Doug Groat, and Dennis Groat, and by uncle Eugene Groat and aunt Janice Anderson Pinkerton. She has also left her loving caretaker Chaweizi Banda and her many friends, including Fred Lyle, at Cha Cha's Homecare in Mechanicsville, VA. Friends will gather to celebrate her life with prayers, scripture, and music, 3 pm, Sunday, November 17, at Cha Cha's Homecare, 6621 Rural Point Road, Mechanicsville, VA, 23116. Memorial gifts may be made to Hospice of Virginia, 1700 Bayberry Ct #300, Richmond, VA 23226 or Hanover Humane Society, 12190 Washington Highway Ashland, VA 23005.