Eileen Hulme

Eileen Margaret Hulme of Harwich, MA passed away peacefully on October 16, 2015 after a courageous struggle with debilitating illness. She is survived by her husband and constant companion of 68 years, Edward Hulme. Born Eileen Fitzpatrick in Lincoln, RI in 1926, she was the eldest of three sisters. Eileen worked as a legal secretary in Providence before marrying Ed in 1947 and starting their family.

In 1956, they moved to the Saugerties, NY area when Ed began work as a computer engineer at IBM. Always passionate about art, Eileen pursued painting classes whenever possible, eventually completing her Associate Degree in Fine Arts at the State University of New York at New Paltz. She worked for the US Post Office in Mt. Marion, NY, she was an editor for the local Saugerties paper, and she taught art at Saugerties High School.

Eileen and Ed fulfilled a shared dream to return to New England when they moved to their Cape Cod home in Harwich upon Ed’s retirement in 1985. They continued a very active lifestyle of bicycling, sailing, and swimming, with off-season travels through the USA and Europe.

When at home on the Cape, Eileen was rarely without a paintbrush in hand and often with a grandchild beside her getting artistic instruction. An accomplished watercolor artist, she was especially active in the Harwich Art Guild where she served two terms as president. She organized numerous summer art shows for the Guild and displayed her paintings for many years.

Eileen is greatly missed by her husband Ed, her daughters Cheryl Pantos and her husband Chris of Brewster, MA, and Cynthia Amato and her husband Ron of Billerica, MA. She also leaves behind her adored three grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, as well as her two sisters, and many nieces and nephews.

She will be interred at the National Cemetery in Bourne, MA, and a private gathering in her honor and memory will be held in November. Donation in memory of Eileen can be made to the Cape Cod Museum of Art online at www.ccmoa.org; or to the Cape Symphony, 1060 Falmouth Road, Suite A, Hyannis, MA 02601. For more information and online condolences, please visit www.nickersonfunerals.com.