Eileen R. Schwartz's Obituary
Eileen Rita Schwartz passed away on October 27, 2013 after a brief stay at Hope Hospice in Cape Coral. Eileen was born on March 16, 1930 in Rochester, New York, the daughter of Joseph Frank and Madeline Mandel Schwartz. After high school graduation from Nazareth Academy in Rochester, Eileen began her career with the telephone company there. Sometime after that, her father expressed a wish to move to Florida, discovered Fort Myers and began making plans to relocate. When he died in 1958, Eileen and her mother decided to make the move to Florida that her father had envisioned. Eileen transferred to the phone company in Fort Myers and continued working there until her retirement. Eileen and her mother rapidly became involved with St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and, after St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church came into existence, with that church also. When the burden of commitments to two churches became too much, they decided to concentrate their energies at St. Francis. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Eileen devoted the biggest part of her time in retirement to working at the religious gift shop there, in later years handling all the ordering and book work. In addition, Eileen helped in the Prayer Garden for a number of years and was a member of the Council of Catholic Women. Eileen is survived by her brother, Joseph and his wife, Dorothy and their son, John, numerous cousins and many loving neighbors and friends. Eileen Schwartz was a truly humble, generous and kind person and those who knew her were blessed to call her their friend. While she had no children of her own, she spiritually adopted the students of St. Francis Xavier School. She was a supporter of the Guardian Angel tuition assistance program since its inception more than a decade ago and made it possible for many children to receive a Catholic education. She was petite and fragile, but strong in her faith and love of Our Lord. She always thought of others and accepted God’s will in her life. Her life’s journey has earned her angel’s wings and we pray she will feel Our Lord’s eternal love and peace in Heaven. Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated at 11:00 AM Wednesday, October 30, 2013 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 2157 Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers with entombment to follow in Fort Myers Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Fort Myers Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, 1589 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33907, 239-936-0555. Online condolences may be made at: www.fortmyersmemorial.com.
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