Eileen Nephin-Bish, 73, of West Lampeter, died at home Monday, Nov. 23, after a prolonged ordeal with dementia. Her devoted husband, James Bish, was with her.

Born in Philadelphia on April 29, 1947, Eileen was the daughter of the late John and Elizabeth (Claus) Reilly. Besides her husband, she is survived by her son, Daniel, daughters Shannon and Meghan, wife of Dennis Wilkens, and granddaughters Ivy and Lily. She was predeceased by two brothers, Chris and James.

Eileen graduated from Bishop McDevitt High School in Philadelphia and was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps.

Eileen worked for causes she believed in, including Planned Parenthood and Head Start. She also worked at Watt & Shand, Goodwill and ran an incest support group.

Eileen had a generous spirit — to a fault, at times — and was a mother and mother-figure to numerous others. She lived by an open-house, open-arms policy — again, at times, to a fault. Eileen was a devoted mother to her special-needs daughter Shannon. Although Eileen was not formally educated past high school, she was intelligent and curious. She appreciated art — she was a largely self-taught watercolorist and taught at The Old Fogey Art Co-Op, which she created. she also enjoyed music, reading an wrote poetry. She appreciated nature, capturing it in her art. For a number of years, she and her husband were active Civil War reenactors, not to glorify war, but instead choosing characters that aided and comforted Union soldiers. Eileen was also a wonderful cook, sharing food as love.

Family was very important to Eileen. She kept traditions and memories alive through a variety of cherished items, family history and a colorful collection of friends. Lily especially remembers fancy tea parties as a little girl. Throughout the years, it was family: Everyone gets fed, everyone receives a gift, everyone is special. Her impact is perhaps best summed up by her granddaughter Ivy: "One of the things that stands out to me is that grandma encouraged my imagination. I believed in fairies and elves and all sorts of magical things as a child because of her. I think that is partly why as an adult I can believe in a world that is better and that goodness can and does exist even when, and maybe even especially, you can't see it."

The family would like to thank Eileen's caregivers from Caring Hospice Services and Comfort Keepers.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Planned Parenthood, The Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon, Caring Hospice Services or Rape Abuse & Incest National Network.