Eileen Huston

Eileen (Fagan) Huston, age 87, died peacefully in her home on March 27th, 2023, assisted in her care by Echo Hospice of Ohio, whom the family gratefully thanks. Eileen was born in Latrobe Hospital in Latrobe, Pennsylvania on April 27th, 1935, to the late William Ernest Fagan Sr. and Helen Genevieve (Milligan) Fagan. She is survived by her loving husband of 66 years, John Theodore (Ted) Huston; children Robert (Terrie) Huston of Worthington, OH; Carol (Brian) Driver of Cardington, OH; and John (Lisa) Huston of Westerville, OH. Eileen is also survived by grandchildren Scott (Angie) Huston of Columbus, OH; Sarah (Matt) Stevenson of Lewis Center, OH; Timothy (Shelby) Driver of Kent, OH; Benjamin (Katherine) Driver of Mt. Vernon, OH; Samuel (Hayley) Driver of Alliance, OH; Brianna (Victor) Gulyassy of Columbus, OH; Emily Driver of Cardington, OH; Daisy (Pete) Duhl of Sunbury, OH; and Connor Huston of Westerville, OH; as well as by great-grandchildren Emilia Huston, Zoey Stevenson, Isabella Driver, Jackson Driver, Landan Duhl, and Lynley Duhl. Many other dear family members and friends also mourn her loss.

Eileen grew up in Brenizer, Pennsylvania with her parents and her brother Bill. Her love of music started at age 3 when she would sit at the family piano and pick out tunes. When she was 5 or 6, she and her father began playing duets (Eileen on piano, her dad on mandolin). She had her first paid musician work at the age of 14 when she took on a job as an organist in the Blairsville Presbyterian Church. While in high school, she was busy with band and with accompanying many musical events. She was also the accompanist for the Western Pennsylvania District Honors Choir and once had the privilege of accompanying Shirley Jones when she came to her high school.

Eileen attended Otterbein College (now Otterbein University) in Westerville, OH and earned a Bachelor of Art in Music Education. One of the many gifts Eileen had was perfect pitch, and her college choir director would rely on her to hum the tuning note at concerts. Another gift was her ability to instantly transpose music to a different key as it was being played. To top it off, her ability to improvise was unmatched. While in college, in addition to her own studies, she accompanied many student vocal lessons (for which she was paid) and recitals.

It was in the college bookstore at Otterbein that Eileen met Ted, and they married after graduation. They stayed in central Ohio while Ted attended medical school at OSU and Eileen taught elementary music in the public schools in South Mifflin and East Linden. She also had a job as organist/choir director at the St.Clair Presbyterian Church on Cleveland Ave. As their family started to grow, Eileen left her school teaching but taught private piano lessons in her home, continued work as organist for her church, and took on too-many-to-count paid accompanist jobs. After her husband, Ted, completed his internal medicine residency program, he served in the Army and was stationed in Carlisle, PA, and Eileen devoted herself to being a mother and an Army wife.

After her husband completed his Army obligation, he went to the Cleveland Clinic for a cardiology fellowship and subsequent staff position. While in Cleveland, Eileen was organist/choir director at Church of the Redeemer in Cleveland Heights. When her husband was offered a position as Medical Director for Heart Services at Riverside Methodist Hospital, the family returned to Columbus. As her children grew older, Eileen participated more with local performing groups, where she was highly valued as a collaborative pianist. She accompanied many high school students for solo and ensemble contests, played multiple programs with Columbus Light Opera, performed in concerts with vocalist Roberta Ricci in Kansas City, KS and Naples, FL, and she performed three years each for the Lake George Opera in Saratoga Springs, NY and The Florentine Opera in Milwaukee, WI. For many years she also participated in the Opera in the School’s program with Opera Columbus. Additionally, one of her greatest joys was being a part of the many concerts and recording sessions with her long-time friend and performer, Johnny Steiner.

In conjunction with her performances, when her youngest child went to Otterbein, Eileen also returned to Otterbein as an adjunct professor in the Music Department. There she accompanied students, faculty, musical theatre auditions, as well as giving her own yearly faculty recitals. For several years Eileen also worked as staff accompanist at Capitol University. While at Otterbein, she took the unique opportunity to be the co-musical director (and performer!) in two summer theatre productions: Forever Plaid and The 1940’s Radio Hour.

Along with her music, Eileen loved to cook, a trait she learned from her mother. Eileen’s kitchen was filled with cookbooks; even after several purges, cookbooks still filled the room, were piled on her bedside table, and were tucked into family room bookshelves. And with that love of cooking, Eileen picked up her mother’s endless supply of hospitality, enjoying hosting family, friends, neighbors, her husband's colleagues, and her children's friends.

Throughout her life, Eileen was an avid reader and a collector of books of all genres, but especially loved a good mystery novel. She enjoyed solving puzzles, both with words and numbers. On any given evening, she enjoyed watching different mystery series on PBS or laughing at The Big Bang Theory show. She enjoyed spending time with friends and with her family, and her home was always a place of welcome and joy, and of course, music. Her well-lived life demonstrated her passion for family, faith, learning, teaching, supporting, and performing. Her loss will be felt deeply by all whom she touched and influenced.

Eileen's music has been woven into so many lives, and the family invites friends to a celebration of her life and music on April 23rd, 2023, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1581 Cambridge Blvd, Columbus, OH 43212. The celebration service will start at 1 pm, with a time of fellowship to follow from 2-4 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that you consider a donation to the Eileen Huston Scholarship Fund at Otterbein University or to the Trinity Foundation at Trinity United Methodist Church.