Eileen Ruth O'Brien, of Standish, passed away peacefully Friday, April 10, 2026 at Avita of Stroudwater in Westbrook, Maine, ending her battle with dementia. The daughter of the late Gerald and Viola Irish, Eileen was born at home on April 13, 1939, and was nearly 87 years old.

At a young age, Eileen was deeply involved in raising her six siblings while working on the family farm performing many tasks including cooking, milking cows, churning butter and bailing hay. She met her future husband Daniel in Gorham while he was selling hope chest items door to door to make money for college. After graduating from Gorham High School in 1957, she moved to the city for work at the Portland Telephone Company. Eileen was a devoted person of faith and a member of the White Rock Baptist Church in Gorham before converting to Catholicism when she joyfully married Danny on Sep. 13, 1958.

Eileen and Danny welcomed the first of five children in 1959 in South Portland and moved to Cumberland in 1968 where they owned a small farm and raised their children and much of their own meat, eggs, and vegetables. They moved to Clifton Park, NY in 1985 before retiring in 1993 to Wards Cove on Sebago Lake in Standish, ME, while also enjoying winters in Arcadia, FL. Eileen was happily married to Danny for 57 years until his passing in 2015.

Eileen treasured her husband, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, family and friends and they brought her much joy throughout the years. She was a wonderful homemaker, a great supporter of her children's passions, and freely gave her time in so many ways. She was a scout leader and involved with 4H. She had a real passion for garden clubs and historical societies everywhere she lived. She was proud of her flower and vegetable gardens, her entrepreneurial accomplishments selling Avon, and of being an esteemed Welcome Wagon representative. She was a highly competitive card player. She enjoyed quiet time sewing, crafting, doing puzzles, reading, and walking the beach looking for treasures such as sea glass, shells, sharks teeth, and driftwood. She loved to bake many different kinds of treats and share them with others. She and Danny loved to square and round dance and were active in those communities for many years. In later years, she and Danny formed a love of the performing arts and traveled New England as well as southern Florida attending performances. She truly loved visiting and entertaining and always welcomed extra seats at her table.

She was a loving and patient daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend. She will be greatly missed by many. She is predeceased by parents Viola and Gerald Irish, her husband, Daniel, and brothers Paul Irish, and Philip Irish. She is survived by: her children, Patrick O'Brien of MA; Michael O'Brien (Dorothy) of Lake Elmo, MN and their children, Michaela Johnson (Charlie) and Keilan; Dennis O'Brien (Mary) of Cumberland, ME and their children, Russell Lunt (Tracie) and Becky Deschambault (Eric), and their 4 children (Rocco, Nicholas, Alexandra and Donovan); Erin Embrey (Donald) of Monmouth, ME and their children, Brook (Misty) and Brielle; and Ryan O'Brien (Christina) of Exeter, NH and their son, Liam; and Eileen's siblings, Anna Cragin, Patricia Libby, Olin Irish, and Martha Leighton and their families.

Thank you to all the family, friends, and caregivers who were part of Eileen's life.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday April 22, 2026 at 2:00pm at Dolby, Blais, & Segee Funeral Home, 434 River Rd, Windham. Burial to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in Yarmouth.