Patricia Josephine Eikmeier

March 19, 1925 – August 26, 2011 Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 at Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church, Rockville, MN for Patricia Josephine (McDonough) Eikmeier, 86, who died August 26th at Assumption Court in Cold Spring, MN. Burial will be in the Calvary Cemetery in Rockville, MN. Relatives and friends may call after 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, at the Wenner Funeral Home, 600 Red River Avenue South, Cold Spring, MN, and from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Wednesday morning at the church. Parish prayers will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by the Christian Women prayers at 4:30 p.m. Patricia was born in Oxford, Ohio to Edward Charles McDonough and Mary Elizabeth (Aubry) McDonough. Patricia graduated from the University of Dayton, Ohio with a B.S. in Education and later acquired her Masters of Education from St. Cloud State University. She married Henry Nicholas Eikmeier on June 28, 1947 in St. Mary’s Church, Oxford, Ohio. Eventually, they moved to Minnesota and purchased the family farm from his father, where they ran a dairy operation for almost 40 years. While raising nine children, she taught at various schools in the area, including St. Anthony’s Elementary, Watkins, St. Boniface Elementary, Cold Spring, Drew’s Business College, St. Cloud, Minnesota Academy of Commerce (Director), St. Cloud School of Business and, finally, the St. Cloud Area Vocational Technical Institute, where she retired after 24 years. Patricia was a member of Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Rockville. In the early years, many Saturday mornings were spent setting and making copies of the Sunday bulletins. Later, she was a lector and did the lector scheduling. Patricia was President of the Rockville Christian Mothers, President of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (DCCW), a member of the Legion of Mary and a strong advocate for all Pro-Life causes. In 2006, Patricia joined the assisted living community at Assumption Court in Cold Spring. She felt truly blessed with the friends she made and the ability to attend mass each day. Her instincts to serve were put to use in organizing prayer services, card parties and sharing her passion for Bridge. Survivors include her children, Larry (Terri), Austin, MN, Vince (Linda), Richmond, VA, Bernie (Sally), Greenfield, Don (Marly), Rockville, Chuck (Sandi), St. Cloud, Tami (Ken) Spanier, St. Cloud, Patty, Waite Park, Mary Reilly, Bakersfield, CA, and Susan (Tom) Roche, Laguna Niguel, CA; 25 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by sisters, Mary Monica Fenning, Hamilton, OH, Margaret Ann (Peg) McDonough, Centerville, OH, Ruth Clark, Chino, CA, Carol Ferneding, Cincinnati, OH; brother-in-law, Joseph Eikmeier, Willmar and sister-in-law, Ann Eisenreich, Waite Park. Patricia was preceded in death by her husband, Henry; 5 brothers and 2 sisters and her son-in-law, Raymond Reilly, III. The family would like to thank the Assumption Campus staff for their help in making Patricia’s final years a very enjoyable and fulfilling time of her life. Also, a thank you to the friends and card playing “buddies” that checked in daily to make sure she was comfortable.

Patricia Josephine Eikmeier

January 1, 1753 - August 31, 2011