Eileen Marie Punch

Eileen Marie Punch (nee Nachtegaele), passed away peacefully at Ridgeview Lodge in Kamloops, BC on Sunday, December 26, 2021, at the age of 86 years. She is survived by her beloved children, Kenneth (Cynde) Punch, Joan (Glenn) Skuggedal, Susan Peachey, David Punch, and Marian Punch (Joshua McInnis); former son-in-law, Jon (Donna) Peachey; eldest sister, Lillian Nykaforuk; sister-in-law, Muriel Nachtegaele; grandchildren, James (Cori-Lynn) Skuggedal, Jeffrey (Noelle) Skuggedal, Aaron Skuggedal, Samantha Punch (Michael Ruperto), Connor Punch, Kayla Peachey, and Jodie Peachey; great-grandchildren, Anna, Sofia, Amelia, Sawyer, Indie, Millie, and Leo. Eileen is predeceased by her husband, James Punch; parents, Oscar and Celina Nachtegaele; brothers, Nestor and George Nachtegaele, and sister, Julia Rozander (Don), as well as brothers-in-law, Mike (Chris) Punch, Danny (Helen) Punch, and Tom Nykaforuk. She will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by her children & grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, cousins, in-laws, and dear friends.

Eileen grew up on a farm outside of North Battleford, Saskatchewan. The shy, middle child of Belgian immigrants, she loved to play piano and sing harmony with her two sisters. Despite her shyness as a teenager and young adult, Eileen longed to escape small town, rural life. Upon graduating from high school, she went off to study nursing at Misericordia General Hospital in Winnipeg, where she met a fellow nurse and kindred spirit, Stella. After graduation, the two young women moved west to Alcan’s new boom town in Kitimat, BC, where they eventually met their future husbands – but not before the two friends backpacked through Europe together for six months. In 1958, Eileen married Jim and they spent the next twelve years in Kitimat raising children and making many friends. In 1970, they made a fresh start and moved to Prince George where Jim got a job with PG Pulp & Paper. They spent the next 40 years raising their family and making many more friends. They were faithful members of St. Mary’s Parish and Eileen enjoyed her time singing with the choir. She also spent many years volunteering for various organizations and, in the early 1970’s, reinvigorated her nursing career for several years working as a geriatric nurse at a care home. She was a skilled knitter and made many beautiful afghans which were lovingly given to family and friends. In later years it made her happy to give everyone she met some knitted dish cloths. Eileen’s greatest joy though, was spending time with her children and grandchildren. She was a kind, loving, devoted mother who spent countless hours making meals, baking cookies, sewing costumes, knitting mittens, reading stories and kissing foreheads. She was famous for her Sunday family dinners of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and apple pie. She leaves her kids with the fondest of childhood memories and they will always be immensely grateful for her unconditional love.

Eileen and Jim were married for 56 years until Jim passed away at the age of 91. They spent their last few years together in Merritt, BC. After Jim passed away in 2014, Eileen moved to Kamloops to be closer to her daughter, Susan. In 2019 she was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia and eventually moved into full-time care at Ridgeview Lodge. A heartfelt thank you to all of the staff who cared for her and comforted her during the times when her family couldn’t be near.

Eileen will be cremated, and her ashes will be interred at a later date. Family and friends will be notified of a memorial service whenever it is safe to gather together. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, or donations can be made specifically for research towards Lewy Body Dementia with the following organization: https://www.lbda.org/donate/