Eileen Beach, 86, of Sunderland, VT, passed away peacefully on August 9, 2025, at Brookdale at Fillmore Pond in Bennington, VT. Eileen was born on February 4, 1939, in Montreal, Quebec, the daughter of Irish immigrants, Frank and Elizabeth Cummins of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Eileen and her mother moved to Port Chester, NY when she was six months old. Due to family dynamics, Eileen lived with Midge and Phil Arnold into her adulthood.
Eileen graduated from the University of Bridgeport with a degree in education. She spent her post-graduate years traveling across the United States with her girlfriends before settling down in Mahopac, New York. It was here that Eileen met Howard (Howie) Beach. They married on July 18, 1964, in New York. In August 1971, Howie and Eileen moved to Sunderland, VT with their two young sons. Eileen was a stay-at-home mom while the boys were young and then went on to teach Special Education in the local school district until her retirement.
Few people knew that Eileen spent much of her early life without any immediate family. This led to her fierce independence at an early age. Despite her tumultuous formative years Eileen was a strong and compassionate woman. She valued family, above all else, as well as her friendships and social circles.
Eileen was predeceased by her husband, Howard, in 2007. She leaves behind her two sons and daughters-in-law, Howie and Darri Beach of Sunderland, VT and Charlie and Tiffany Beach of Portland, OR, her grandchildren Gunnar (Jamie) Beach of Pensacola, FL, Alexa Beach of Missoula, MT, Annabelle Beach of Sunderland, VT, Julia Beach of Beaverton, OR and Conor Beach of Portland, OR and her great granddaughter, Millie Rae Beach of Pensacola, FL.
Services for Eileen will be held at a later date and will be announced.
If friends desire, contributions in Eileen's memory may be made to the Brookdale/Fillmore Pond Holiday Fund through the office of the EP Mahar and Son Funeral Home 628 Main Street Bennington, Vermont 05201.