Eileen Frances Oden

Eileen grew up in Prairie Village, Kansas and graduated from Shawnee Mission East High School in 1979. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth in 1983, graduating magna cum laude.

While at TCU, Eileen met her future husband, David Oden, during the fall semester of her sophomore year. David, an accounting and finance major, and Eileen both lived in Brachman Hall and shared many of the same classes, most at the M.J. Neely School of Business building on the opposite end of campus. Seeing Eileen making that long walk to class, David began offering her rides, and before long they were inseparable. In addition to school activities and studying together (classmates quite mistakenly thought they studied all the time), Eileen and David enjoyed eating out, TCU sporting events, and live music performances by local and nationally-emerging artists in clubs and small venues all over the Dallas/Fort Worth area. During her junior and senior years, Eileen also began a lifetime of service, volunteering for a class to visit an elderly woman at a nearby nursing home, and continuing to do so long after the class had ended.

Eileen and David married shortly after graduation, on June 11, 1983, and settled in Fort Worth. Eileen began her career in the audit department at Arthur Andersen, working long hours. In fact, she almost had to quit her job to attend a T-Bone Burnett concert at midnight on a Saturday! In 1985, Eileen accepted a position as Corporate Accounting Manager for the All Saints Episcopal Hospital organization, eventually rising to Controller of the entire system.

Eileen loved her work at All Saints, and she and David welcomed their two children, Amy and Bryan, while she was employed there. In late 1992, Eileen left her position to devote herself full-time to the kids, and she spent the next 15 years as a full-time mom. During that time, the family relocated to a suburb of Washington, D.C. in 1995. Eileen made the most of the family’s time there, frequently instigating visits to monuments, museums, and historical sites—even taking the kids to the White House Easter Egg Roll.

In 1997, the family moved to Dallas, where they joined Christ the King Church and Amy and Bryan attended Catholic schools. Eileen continued to be active as a volunteer at school and church. As was her nature, she assumed behind-the-scenes roles, where she quietly made significant contributions and many friends. Among Eileen’s favorite volunteer activities over the years were driving elderly nuns to appointments and helping set up apartments for newly-arriving refugees.

As the kids grew up, Eileen decided to go back to work, primarily for the social interaction. She initially worked part-time as an accountant in David’s business, then in 2013 joined Robert Half as a full-time employee assigned to contract accounting engagements. Eileen was loved and admired by colleagues and clients for her competence and good nature, and assignments initially expected to last only a few weeks often extended for years. She so enjoyed her work at Robert Half that she continued even as she grew very ill over the last few months.

Family and friends mattered most to Eileen, and she prioritized and cherished time with them. Her love for and devotion to Amy and Bryan were boundless. She enjoyed watching Amy succeed as a student, high school volleyball player, and ultimately a lawyer in New York City, and she never wavered in her loving support for Bryan as he struggled for 15 years with mental health and substance abuse diseases. Family gatherings in Kansas City and Abilene were particularly special to Eileen, who would much rather take a trip to visit an out-of-town family member than any weekend vacation.

The family lake house in Brownwood, Texas was a place Eileen particularly treasured. There she spent time photographing wildflowers, swimming (floating really) off the dock, and working puzzles. And when family came to visit, time at the lake became extra special, with boating, jet skiing, leisurely walks, more floating and puzzle-doing, and great food always on the agenda. When not spending time with family and her many friends, Eileen valued her independent leisure time, which she often spent with a good book (usually true crime), a Pepsi and Cheerios for breakfast, the “Morning Boost” on the TODAY show, and, of course, Dateline.

Eileen is remembered by family and friends for her humility, her modesty and grace, her compassion and devotion, and her intellect and wit. Whether baking and sharing her delicious, flawlessly-frosted holiday sugar cookies, enjoying book club meetings with friends, or “Wordling” with siblings, Eileen exuded joy, kindness and love of life. Sustained by her strong foundation of faith, Eileen was a constant source of encouragement, understanding, and support for those around her. She was never too busy to visit, share a laugh, or lend a sympathetic ear to others.

Eileen is predeceased by her father Adam Stadler, son Bryan Oden, and in-laws James and Patsy Oden. In addition to David and Amy, Eileen is survived by her mother Kathryn Stadler; siblings Mary Stadler, Mark (Lillian) Stadler, Anne (Don) Farmer, Julie (David) Findlay; uncle Eugene Podrebarac; cousins Rosemary Podrebarac and Bill Podrebarac; sister-in-law Jennifer Misko and brother-in-law Jim Misko; and nieces and nephews Erin (Zach) Mehrer, Chris Findlay, Paul Farmer, Tim Farmer, Jacob Misko, Nick Misko, Katy Stadler, and Kyle Stadler.

We will celebrate Eileen’s life at a Vigil service at 6:30 pm on April 28, 2023 at Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home, 7405 West Northwest Highway, Dallas, Texas 75225 and a Funeral Mass at 1:00 pm on April 29, 2023 at Christ the King Catholic Church at 8017 Preston Rd, Dallas, Texas 75225. A reception will follow each service.

Memorials in Eileen’s memory may be made to The Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation at www.netrf.org/give.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Sparkman-Hillcrest.com for the Oden family.