Obituary for Eileen Margaret Handlin (Zirkelbach)
Eileen Margaret Handlin, age 83, passed away suddenly on October 24, 2019 surrounded by her loving family.
Eileen was born in Newark, NJ to the late Margaret (Meehan) and Joseph M. Zirkelbach, Sr. She was a 1953 graduate of St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington.
While still in high school, she joined the Diamond State Telephone Company as an operator. Her career there and with the successor companies, Bell Atlantic and Verizon, spanned 36 years in both secretarial and administrative positions. She was an active member of the Telephone Pioneers of America.
Eileen cherished family vacations, especially at the summer home she and her husband Joe kept for many years on the Indian River Bay. With Joe by her side, she also enjoyed many travels throughout Europe, Ireland, and the U.K.
Eileen’s fun-loving spirit made each day spent with her a memorable time for everyone. She was a bright light, a steadying hand for her family and loved ones who looked to her confidently for guidance, encouragement, and the wisdom of her counsel. The family matriarch in every sense of the word, Eileen will be missed by all those whose lives she touched. She was a wonderful mother and grandmother, and a loving, kind, and generous aunt to many nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, Eileen was preceded in death by her first husband, John J. Joyce; her second husband, Aldon J. “Joe” Handlin; her siblings, Marion Calleo, Joseph Zirkelbach, and Bernice Apostolico; son-in-law, Anthony J. Kelleher; and grandson, Nicholos Lingo.
She is survived by her daughters, Karen Williams (Donald), Colleen Campbell (Donnie), Kelly Bogush (Nick), Caroline Warren (Patrick); stepdaughters, Kathleen Kelleher (Jimmy) and Peggy Lingo (Chris Kara-Eneff); 12 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 am on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at Corpus Christi R.C. Church, 901 New Road, Elsmere, where Eileen was a lifelong parishioner. Family and friends may visit at the church on Tuesday morning beginning at 9:30 am. Interment will be held in All Saints Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making contributions in Eileen's memory to The Little Sisters of the Poor, 185 Salem Church Road, Newark, DE 19713.
Krienen-Griffith Funeral Home
302-994-9614
www.delawarefuneral.com
Eileen was born in Newark, NJ to the late Margaret (Meehan) and Joseph M. Zirkelbach, Sr. She was a 1953 graduate of St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington.
While still in high school, she joined the Diamond State Telephone Company as an operator. Her career there and with the successor companies, Bell Atlantic and Verizon, spanned 36 years in both secretarial and administrative positions. She was an active member of the Telephone Pioneers of America.
Eileen cherished family vacations, especially at the summer home she and her husband Joe kept for many years on the Indian River Bay. With Joe by her side, she also enjoyed many travels throughout Europe, Ireland, and the U.K.
Eileen’s fun-loving spirit made each day spent with her a memorable time for everyone. She was a bright light, a steadying hand for her family and loved ones who looked to her confidently for guidance, encouragement, and the wisdom of her counsel. The family matriarch in every sense of the word, Eileen will be missed by all those whose lives she touched. She was a wonderful mother and grandmother, and a loving, kind, and generous aunt to many nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, Eileen was preceded in death by her first husband, John J. Joyce; her second husband, Aldon J. “Joe” Handlin; her siblings, Marion Calleo, Joseph Zirkelbach, and Bernice Apostolico; son-in-law, Anthony J. Kelleher; and grandson, Nicholos Lingo.
She is survived by her daughters, Karen Williams (Donald), Colleen Campbell (Donnie), Kelly Bogush (Nick), Caroline Warren (Patrick); stepdaughters, Kathleen Kelleher (Jimmy) and Peggy Lingo (Chris Kara-Eneff); 12 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 am on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at Corpus Christi R.C. Church, 901 New Road, Elsmere, where Eileen was a lifelong parishioner. Family and friends may visit at the church on Tuesday morning beginning at 9:30 am. Interment will be held in All Saints Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making contributions in Eileen's memory to The Little Sisters of the Poor, 185 Salem Church Road, Newark, DE 19713.
Krienen-Griffith Funeral Home
302-994-9614
www.delawarefuneral.com