Eileen Butler

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Eileen Butler (nee McKee), 76, of Warwick, Rhode Island, passed away on September 29th.

Born in Kilkenny, Ireland, Eileen moved to Rhode Island in 1958, after her marriage to John R. Butler. They celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary in August. Prior to her marriage, Eileen was a schoolteacher in Ireland. After moving to Rhode Island, she was employed by McLeod Optical Company for nearly 30 years. She taught CCD for St. Rita’s for many years, and was a communicant of St. Catherine Church in Warwick.

Eileen retained a lifelong interest in Ireland and Irish culture and music, which she imparted to her family. An accomplished knitter, her creations warmed many infants, family, and friends throughout her life. Other interests included reading, visiting the ocean, gardening, Scrabble, and occasionally playing the slots. She most enjoyed spending time with family, friends, and Bizkit (a Golden Retriever); phone chats with her sister Sheila; and weekly breakfasts with her friend Marilyn. In recent years, she derived great enjoyment from her laptop and exploring “the web”. Her presence, laughter, Irish wisdom and witticisms, and spontaneous singing will be dearly missed.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children Patricia, Sean, Michelle, and Kevin; daughter-in-law Gina; granddaughters Brianna and Danica; sister Sheila O’Regan of Morden (London); brother Sean McKee of Kilkenny; sisters-in-law Dorothy Butler and Glenda Butler; and several nieces and nephews. Her sister, Lucy, pre-deceased her.

A funeral mass will be said at St. Catherine Church, at 10 a.m. on Friday, October 3rd. The service will be followed by burial at the Rhode Island Veterans Cemetery in Exeter.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to St. Catherine Church, 3252 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886 will be appreciated.