Eileen Parker Brown, 69, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, wife of Douglas J. Brown died Sunday, November 6, 2016. Her Memorial Service will be held Saturday, November 12, 2016 in Christ Church Mount Pleasant at 1:00 p.m. Arrangements by J. HENRY STUHR, INC. MOUNT PLEASANT CHAPEL.
Eileen was born November 4, 1947 in Norwalk, Connecticut, to the late Vincent F. and Mary S. Parker. She was one of six children. Eileen grew up in Trumbull, Connecticut and graduated from Trumbull High School in 1965. During her high school years, she worked as an operator for the Southern New England Telephone Company. In 1967, she moved to Branford, CT and worked for WAVZ radio station in New Haven.
In 1970 Eileen married Thomas Leshney and raised their two sons,Tyler and Todd in Madison, CT where she was active with the Madison Jaycees, Welcome Wagon, and volunteered in the Clinton Public School System helping special needs children. While actively raising her sons, she returned to the work force as an orthodontic assistant working with half of the kids in town. Eileen found the most joy in working as a pre-school teacher's aide assisting and mentoring children of all ages and abilities.
Following her first marriage, Eileen reconnected with, and married her high school sweetheart, Douglas J Brown, in July 1995. The two made a storybook life for themselves in Killingworth and Guilford Connecticut and retiring in Mount Pleasant, SC where Eileen immediately became involved with IBeam,following her passion of mentoring young children. Eileen was an active member of Christ Church, Mount Pleasant and a constant presence as a "Boomer" at Be Strong Fitness in Charleston National. Eileen was loving, direct, an athlete, a lover of the outdoors, a gardener, and a wonderfully accomplished cook.
In addition to her husband Doug, she is survived by her son, Tyler and his wife, Stephanie, of Long Beach, CA; son, Todd and his wife, Karen, of Goffstown, NH; sister, Susan Tredinnick and her husband, Alex, of St. Augustine, FL; sister, Patricia P. Verni, of Branford, CT; step-daughter, Tracy Evengelista and her husband, Chad, of Hanahan, SC; step-son, Tim and his wife, Ginger, of Shelton, CT; step-daughter, Sheri Brown of Bluffton, SC; granddaughters, Nora, Claire and Paige Leshney; grandson, Evan Leshney, and step-grandchildren, Harrison Metes, Mackenzie and Declan Evangelista, Alex Brown, Samantha Beckech and Lyndsay Brown. She leaves behind several nephews and nieces.
Eileen was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Vincent F. Parker, Jr., and two sisters, Sheila Parker and Christine Visconti.
Eileen also leaves behind an amazing support group of women and men that she befriended during her time in Mount Pleasant. They were instrumental in welcoming her as a valued part of the community and stood by her bedside spiritually and physically, when she needed them the most. She will be missed by all lucky enough to have been in her light, as brief as it may have been.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 3 International Drive, Suite 200, Rye Brook, NY 10573, www.lls.org