Eileen L. Neville

Eileen L. Neville passed away at age 90 on Sunday, October 4, at her daughter’s home in Troy, NY, following a valiant battle with Lewy body disease. She was predeceased by her former husband and lifelong friend, Matthew P. Fitzgerald; her mother, Kathleen McNevin Neville Cain; her uncle Edward McNevin; her stepfather Franklin Cain; and her father Thomas Neville. 

She is survived by her sister Patricia Neville, Troy, formerly of the Bronx; her daughter Veronica Fitzgerald (Gordon Kaedy) of Troy, and their two children son, Devin (Rachael) and their daughter, Violet, and daughter Gareth; son Regan Fitzgerald (Carolyn) of Redondo Beach, CA; son Corey Fitzgerald of Atlanta, GA; and daughter Patricia Fitzgerald (Ray Siecinski) of Leeds, and her son Rowan Jones. Eileen is also survived by many beloved members of her extended family in the UK and Australia. 

An avid lover of dogs, Eileen shared her home with many furry friends over her lifetime, most recently her beloved Tippy and Doc who have no doubt been waiting to greet her with their tails wagging away. Raised in the Bronx, Eileen together with Matt moved their young family to Hyde Park, NY. where she lived for over 50 years, making many lifelong friends. She later moved to the family vacation home in Bolton Landing where she became a fixture in her neighborhood powering through her daily walks in almost all weather conditions, always in search of a little bit of sun. Eileen loved to travel and one of her fondest memories was sailing aboard the Queen Mary with her sister Pat to visit her UK family; there was no end to the hijinks the Neville sisters pulled on that trip. Eileen also fondly recalled trips with her children to California, England, Ireland, Paris, and Montauk. She also loved welcoming friends and family from across the pond to her Bolton Landing home and enjoyed spending time with them at the beach or on the porch, hosting barbecues and serving her famous lasagna dinners. 

Eileen strongly valued education and earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from NYU while she was raising four children, commuting to NYC from Hyde Park over the course of many years to do so. She went on to a career in dietetics where she counselled people of all ages and from all walks of life from young mothers and their babies in the WIC program to the elderly in nursing homes on the importance of a sound diet as part of a healthy life. 

Among Eileen’s proudest life accomplishments, what gave her the most pleasure was becoming a grandmother and great grandmother. Many of her happiest memories centered around time spent with them, especially their many summer adventures in Bolton Landing, including the annual Memorial Day parade and the 4th of July fireworks.

A graveside service to honor Eileen's life and memory will be conducted on Thursday, October 15th at 11 AM at St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands, with Deacon Bob Sweeney officiating.  Relatives and friends are invited to attend.

Those wishing to honor Eileen’s memory may make a donation in her name to North Country Ministry (https://www.northcountryministry.org/), 933 Main Street, PO Box 478, Warrensburg, NY 12885.