Eileen M. Jacques, 83, of 41 Johnson St., died Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017, at St. Luke’s Hospital, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Born March 11, 1933, Eileen was the second of five children of the late Maurice Dennis Fenton and Irene Veronica (Russell) Fenton. She attended Blessed Sacrament School, Holyoke, and graduated from Sacred Heart High School, Holyoke, in 1950. She earned her bachelor’s degree in teaching in 1954 from the College of Our Lady of the Elms, Chicopee.
Eileen was hired as a school teacher by the City of Chicopee and taught at Westover Elementary School at Westover Air Force Base from 1954 to 1958.
On June 28, 1958, she married the late Laurence Allen “Al” Jacques of North Adams. The couple moved to North Adams and began their family. Eileen taught second grade at the former East (Sullivan) School from 1968 until her retirement in 1997.
Eileen and Al were the proud parents of three children who survive them: Lawrence A. Jacques and his wife, Karen, of Port Henry, N.Y.; Christopher F. Jacques of Epsom, N.H.; and Cathleen M. Beke, and her husband Michael, of Cedar Rapids, with whom Eileen lived at the time of her death. She adored her grandchildren: LCpl. Allen L. Jacques USMC of Yuma, Ariz., and step-granddaughter Missy Perez of Cheyenne, Wyo.; Kelly Jacques and Courtney Jacques of Epsom, N.H.; and Emily C. (Beke) Berglund and her husband Nathan of Des Moines, Ia., and her brothers Christopher M. Beke and Matthew A. Beke of Cedar Rapids.
Throughout her life, Eileen was never happier than when surrounded by her family, including her brothers: Robert R. Fenton and his wife Sally of Southampton, Mass., the Late John J. Fenton of South Hadley, the late Mary M. Fenton Tulloch of Chicopee, and their youngest brother, the late Maurice Dennis “Ab” Fenton Jr., whom they all cherished. Eileen’s many nieces and nephews helped fill her life with love, especially the children of Ellen and the late Theodore McAllister of Clarksburg. Without them and her friends on Johnson Street, she would never have been able to stay in North Adams for as long as she did.
Eileen was a communicant of Notre Dame du Sacre Coeur Parish from the time of her marriage until its closure, when she joined the new combined parish of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Eileen taught catechism for many years, served as a member of the Altar Guild and the Notre Dame Bingo Committee, the Mardi Gras committee, and served on the committee for the 100th anniversary of Notre Dame.
Following her retirement, Eileen worked at the election polls and offered information and direction at the Visitors Booth.
Throughout her life, watching the Boston Red Sox was her passion, and her claim to Irish heritage made her proud. She always had a story to tell, and they were usually about family.
SERVICES: The Mass of Christian Burial for Eileen M. (Fenton) Jacques will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017, at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, North Adams. Calling hours will be from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.at Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals, CENTRAL CHAPELS, 74 Marshall St., North Adams. Burial will follow at Southview Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the College of Our Lady of the Elms through the funeral home. To add to the Book of Memories, please visit flynndagnolifuneralhomes.com.