New Westminster’s Eileen Glavin was born June 16, 1921, in Barking, Essex, England to Thomas and Alice Gurnett (nee Kelly). One of 8 children, she and her sister Mary Ling (Cyril) came to Vancouver in 1957 where they raised their families in Burnaby. Eileen is survived by her three youngest boys; Terry (Yvette), David, and Anthony (Sari), and was predeceased by her eldest son, Michael Malachy, and her husband, Michael Maurice.
Prior to coming to Canada, Eileen served in the RAF intercepting enemy codes for Alan Turing’s storied wartime operation that was lauded by Winston Churchill as carving years off of WWII, a secret she was required to maintain for 25 years following the war. Following her service as a “Bletchley Girl”, Eileen worked for Lloyds of London and spent much of her spare time at Coolreagh, the family farm in County Clare, Ireland. She would return to visit Coolreagh several times following her emigration to BC.
Eileen raised her four boys on her own, and enjoyed the times spent renting cottages at Point Roberts during the 1960s and 1970s. She was an unwavering supporter of her children whether cheering at poolside or alongside the pitch, or by oversubscribing to numerous journals and newspapers. Eileen always quietly cheered on her boys.
Eileen was an incredibly kind, generous, and outgoing person. She was a lot of fun and was loved by many. She threw the greatest Christmas Eve parties and always welcomed a houseful of people, including her son’s friends, some of whom lived with her for spells at a time. Her enormous love of children extended to her many grandchildren (Christopher, Adrian, Eamonn, Conall, Zoe, Liam and Hannah), great-grandchildren (Ian, Braiden, Abbey, Colwyn) and recently great-great-grand daughter (Mazie).
Not surprisingly, Eileen’s vocation in life continued in the child-rearing department, serving as the nanny to Rabbi and Shandi Feuerstein’s 8 children (Leah, David, Shifra, Penina, Aviva, Yosef, Alishava and Nechama). Now grown adults, the Feuerstein children (and their children) are a treasured addition to Eileen’s family.
Eileen ultimately passed due to natural causes halfway through her 102nd year. True to form, she remained bright, cheerful, funny and sassy to the end. She was cared for by the dedicated staff of Kiwanis Care Centre in New Westminster. The Glavin family extend their heartfelt gratitude to all of the nurses, care aids, recreation therapists and admin staff at Kiwanis for making her final years meaningful and very enjoyable.
In lieu of flowers we ask you to consider making a donation to Kiwanis Care Centre recreation and activity programs in the name of Eileen Glavin or to the bursary established in her name at Royal Roads University https://www.royalroads.ca/eileen-glavin-bursary
Funeral service at St. Peters Catholic Church in New Westminster 12:00 noon February 10, 2023.
Reception to follow at Centennial Lodge in Queen Park.