Catlin - Frances Eileen Jeffers, 95, left to join her parents on November 26, 2023 at 11:16 a.m. at Hawthorne Inn in Danville, Illinois where she had been a resident of Liberty Estates/Hawthorne Inn since 2015.

Eileen (which she was most commonly known by) was born on October 14, 1928 the daughter of Merle H. and Evalyn B. Jeffers. She was born in rural Catlin township in the same house that her father was born in.

Her education began at the Shiloh country school where she was the fourth generation of her family to attend and she occupied the same desk her father had when he was in school. Eileen attended here all eight years; however, when she was in third grade, she contracted spinal meningitis which caused her to lose her hearing at the age of eight. A private tutor taught her the rest of third grade and also worked with her on lip reading in which she became very proficient. Upon graduating from Shiloh, she attended Catlin Township High School where she participated in the junior class play, was voted Homecoming Queen, and graduated in 1947.

After high school, Eileen attended the University of Illinois for one year but because of her hearing loss, straight lecture classes proved very difficult and she ended up enrolling in Illinois Commercial College.

Upon graduation from business college in 1948, Eileen was employed by the University YMCA and went on to work for a public accounting firm in Champaign. After realizing how much she missed the campus atmosphere, she came back to the University of Illinois where she was employed by the U of I library, a job she held for 30 years.

Eileen was a life member of the Catlin United Methodist Church and her church meant everything to her. She was also heavily involved with the United Methodist Women where she would help out with numerous activities and events throughout the years. Eileen was also a proud member of the Epsilon Sigma Alpha sorority. She enjoyed participating in various activities with her sorority sisters, including traveling to conventions all over the country. She was also a member of the Vermilion County Farm Bureau and the Catlin Historical Society.

One of Eileen's favorite hobbies was keeping scrapbooks and documenting the happenings of the Catlin community and surrounding areas. This hobby kept her busy and ultimately resulted in decades worth of pictures, newspaper articles, and other historic information. In addition to scrapbooking, she also enjoyed solving word puzzles, watching The Young and the Restless, and following Illinois basketball.

Eileen is survived by close friends Donald and Joyce Owens, her childhood best friend Mrs. Mae DeNeal, and several cousins and sorority sisters.

Funeral service will be held at 11a.m.on Wednesday at Robison Chapel in Catlin with Dale DeNeal officiating. Burial immediately following at Oakridge Cemetery in Catlin. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Catlin United Methodist Church, Catlin Historical Society, and St. Jude's Research Hospital. On-line condolences at www.robisonchapel.com.