Eileen was born and raised in the Edgewater/Ravenswood neighborhood of north Chicago, not far from the historic Wriggle Field. She was the fourth child of six, preceded by June, Alice and Donald, followed by Ardeen and then Dorothy. Her Father, John Lessick (he changed from Lesick) and a couple brothers, had traveled from Ukraine to Canada. John met and married Marie (Minnie) Ewoski in 1922, they had June and a few months later moved from Winnipeg to Chicago.
All the siblings were very smart and athletic. They spent much time involved in activities at a nearby park and swimming in Lake Michigan which was right there at the end of their street. They went to Nicholas Senn High School from which Eileen graduated in 1945. She was a very talented student. She was artistic and had several of her paintings on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. She ran track and won in the hurdles. Eileen also played the violin and was on a Fencing Team.
She became very devoted and dedicated to the Catholic Church at an early age. Her parents were Catholic, but not very active. Most of her siblings went to a Presbyterian Church but she chose a different path. She devoted her entire life to her faith and the Catholic Church was well served by this daughter, wherever life took her.
She was always active in every Parish she joined. She joined a convent in Wisconsin for a period of time in her 20’s but decide to dedicate herself in a different fashion. In 1951 Eileen started teaching in Elementary Schools in the Chicago Archdiocese. She did so for 46 years, serving in many schools throughout the inner City of Chicago. After she stopped teaching, she worked and volunteered at her neighborhood Church, Saint Edwards.
Eileen was loosely connected to most of her family, save for mother. She also remained close to her father until his death and was very close to my mother, Ardeen. They talked by phone almost every day when not together. For many years she would come and spend the winter Holiday break with my parents in California and later in the Las Vegas area. In 2008 she decided to leave Chicago and moved to be with my parents in Pahrump, Nv. Eileen and my mother enjoyed time together and participated in the Church there. She then left the country life and moved into Las Vegas. While there she met all of her friends who will be gathering to remember her now.
Eileen was always a very private person, who lived her life the way she wanted, and did not share much at all with anyone. She would not even discuss much personal information with my mother. She was a bit of a mystery to us. She would say, “God will guide me” and “I am a Carmelite, my Order will take care of me”. In the last several years of her life things became hard for her in many ways. She was not connected to the family. GOD did take care of her and so did her Order. Angels on Earth in the form of Mike and Ruth Parven embraced her and made her last years, the best few years of her life. May they be BLESSED forever!
A visitation for Eileen will be held Thursday, February 8, 2024 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Palm Downtown Mortuary, 1325 North Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89101. A committal service will occur Friday, February 9, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM at Palm Downtown Cemetery, 1325 North Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89101. A funeral service will occur Friday, February 9, 2024 from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church, 2250 E Maule Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89119.
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