Linda Neuhauser
To the Neuhausers, Gandolfinis and other family and friend of Eileen:
It's hard to be brief about Eileen's amazing life and how it has enriched all of our lives and how much we miss her.
Eileen was one of the kindest people (quote from my husband Craig), always interested in the positive aspects of other people's lives and generous with her appreciation of her family and friends. There's no way to over-express how much she loved her family-both on Gandolfini side (Yes--we've heard so many great stories about you in the "East Coast family!) and the family she and Charlied created. She doted on Charlie and her children, Chris, Stephen and Elizabeth Every conversation with her was about their dreams and accomplishments and delight at the paths they have taken. Whether it was about Chris's engineering career, his exceptional partner Pauline, of Stephen's creativity and architectural accomplishments, or Elizabeth's production company, theater teaching and other jobs, she was so happy about the people they became and all they have contributed.
One of the best quotes from Eileen about Charlie was "He just keeps getting better every year." This was sometthing she said on a family outing in Santa Cruz where we spent many happy times. All spouses should be able to say that about each other! Speaking of outings, we all had a blast on their joint 70th birthday catamaran ocean adventure!
Eileen's intelligence, perseverance, hard work and drive were impressive in her jobs and family-related activities. It was hard to imagine how she had the time and energy to do everything on her schedule and she was the linchpin for many school and community activities her family was connected to. She was an outstanding cook and shared mother Kay's famous spaghetti sauce (or maybe Grandmother Ganolfini's?) with us as well as other delicacies linke mini-chocolate dipped macaroons (gotta get that recipe!) or Middle Eastern dishes. Some of you may remember that she even posted formal menus in the kitchen for special family get-togethers.
We all know about Eileen's great sense of adventure from her pioneering time in Morocco in the new Peace Corps program to diving in to take on any task for her family to exploring the Adriatic with Charlie, or to the unusual road trips she and Charlie shared offf the beaten path. On my last outing with Eileen, she was planning an outing for all of us at a lake near Sunnyvale. And, on her last outing, she was doing exactly what she loved--taking a boat trip with family in San Diego.
Something Eileen and I shared was a love of reading. Uncannily, we liked many of the same novels and mysteries. She turned me on to many intriguing writers and hopefully, vice versa. There was a survey last year in the US that found that half of adults had read no books in the past year(?) Even "mega-readers" only averaged about 50 a year. Eileen no doubt surpassed them all. In our last visit together, I brougt a "bag-o-books" for her and she exchanged the same with me. We'll now be going over her collection and sharing those books with family and friends.
We will treasure our memories of Eileen--her kindness, curiosity, laugh-that-nobody-else-has, her many accomplishements, and her wonderful family (West and East) who have been so lucky to have her in their lives. Eileen, you'll continue to be a bright light for all of us!
Love,
Linda Neuhauser and Craig Buxton