Eileen Calcaterra

Eileen M. Calcaterra, 75, of Thiells, NY, passed away peacefully at the Joe Raso Hospice Residence in New City on December 12, 2024, after a long illness. Eileen was born in Manhattan to the late James and Mary McCoy on January 28, 1949, and was the beloved wife of the late John Calcaterra, mother of John (Michelle) and Justin (Lauren) Calcaterra, grandmother of Ben, Charlie, Caitlin and Aria Calcaterra, sister of Peggy Kirchmeier and Mary Sheehy, sister-in-law of Roseanne Silves, and aunt of Diane Udin, Danielle Shapiro and Jenny Del Monaco. She was predeceased by her brothers-in-law Richard Silves and Louis Kirchmeier, and her nephew Richie Silves.

Eileen was an inveterate lover of books, and she pursued this passion later in life by going back to school to get her Master of Library Science degree, an achievement she took great pride in. The students of Upper Nyack Elementary also benefitted greatly from this decision as she was their beloved school librarian for many years before retiring in 2011. When she wasn’t reading, Eileen enjoyed going to the theater and was an avid supporter of The Theater Development Fund (TDF). She counted Les Mis and Wicked as her favorite musicals and delighted in taking her family into the city for dinner and a show. (We wish she had been well enough to see the movie version of Wicked, as we know she would have loved it as much as her daughters-in-law and granddaughters did.)

Eileen was fiercely proud of her Irish heritage and being able to travel to Ireland with her husband, John, to see her family was a long-awaited highlight of her life. Family was everything to Eileen, and she always put us first—especially her boys, Johnny and Justin. Whether they were on the field, the court or the stage, she was front and center cheering them on. But you didn’t have to be a blood relative to be considered family by Eileen—as evidenced by the large circle of girlfriends whom she considered her “sisters.” The joy, memories, laughter and comfort this group brought her throughout the years is immeasurable and we are grateful to all the women who touched her life—and by extension ours as well. Rest in peace, Mom/MeMo/Grammy. “Because we knew you, we have been changed for good.”

A funeral mass will be celebrated Wednesday, December 18th at 11:30am at St. Francis of Assisi in West Nyack. Burial to follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne. A visitation will be held at Higgins Funeral Home in New City on Tuesday, December 17th from 6-8pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.