Eileen M. Conlin

“Keep Hope Alive” and “Throw the Anchor Out” were the words Eileen advised others including herself. Advice she gleaned from her strong parents, her father who was a WWII Navy Vet and her mother, an accomplished seamstress and homemaker. 

Eileen Conlin passed peacefully at home in Natick on February 7, 2025. She was born on June 22, 1953, at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA to the late Charles and Irene Conlin. She was their only daughter and grew up in a CA craftsman home in Natick with a cadre of five brothers: David (Hopedale), James (Plymouth), Charles (Natick), and Ted (Worcester). She was predeceased by her brother Robert (Houston, TX). Their home had one bathroom for the eight of them and the boys were told by dad that Eileen had first dibs on it. Eileen learned a certain toughness and resilience from her brothers, and she was nobody’s fool. In addition to her four brothers and their families, Eileen leaves behind many adoring nephews and nieces: Scott, Matt, Jennifer, Patrick, Shane , Emma, Jack . Dawn, Sean, and Leah and Haley who predeceased her. She also leaves many cousins that she cared for deeply. 

She was a 1971 graduate of Natick High School and worked for many years for the Framingham Heart Study. But more than the jobs she held, she was an amazing caregiver who lovingly took care of many including her dear classmate Doris McParland, and the elderly parents of her Natick friends, as well as her neighbors from her West Natick Neighborhood. She made everyone feel so special and engaged them with wonderful stories of past Natick days. She had a gift for bringing people together and creating community. She was the family member who organized many of the get togethers. She had an infectious laugh and way of making people see the best in the worst of circumstances. “Hold on to Hope” and “throw the anchor out.”

She loved poetry and wrote it herself. She also loved history and had done a lot of research on her family genealogy. She had a deep love for this country and enjoyed singing patriotic songs and celebrating Memorial and Veterans Day. She loved a good parade and took delight in fireworks displays. She enjoyed the Monday “Natick Open Door” dinners and would greet almost everyone by name. She loved a cup of coffee from Dunkin’s and knew the staff there well. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at 11:00 am at St. Patrick’s Church, 44 East Central Street, Natick, MA, A Celebration of Life will immediately follow at the VFW, 113 West Central Street, Natick, MA. Eileen will be buried next to her mother and brother at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in a private service at a later date. Honor Eileen by finding ways to “keep hope alive” for others. You are invited to make a donation in Eileen’s memory to a charity of your choice. 

For online guestbook, please visit www.everettfuneral.com

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