Eileen Mary Micklish Hempfling

Eileen was born March 18, 1930, (1:30 am) in Morris, MN to Oscar Henry Micklish and Eleanor Christine Jost Micklish. Born in a small frame house at 408 East 2nd Street, Morris, MN with the assistance of Dr. Fitzgerald, the town doctor from Steven County Hospital.

She lived in Morris, MN, until age 6 and attended St. Mary’s School there. Eileen, her brother Donald and her mother and father moved to San Diego, CA – arriving there July 4, 1937 by train – with a band at the train station to greet the family (actually the band was there to greet the boy scouts on the train returning from a summer outing – but Eileen thought the band was for her).

While living in San Diego, Eileen attended Our Lady of the Sacred Heart grade school and Cathedral Girl’s High School, graduating in 1948.

In 1948 Eileen was awarded an art scholarship to Mount St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles, CA, and graduated in 1952. She was named to a scholastic honor society, Delta Epsilon Sigma, at graduation.

While in Los Angles, Eileen met Patrick Donald Hempfling and they were married on November 29, 1952 in San Diego, CA. She and Patrick moved to Denver, CO in 1955 settling in Aurora. She was employed by the Denver Department of Social Services as a caseworker and Legal Assistant in the Legal Division for 32 years. She was instrumental in starting the Highland Park East Neighborhood Association in Aurora and with her husband was named to the Denver Post Gallery of Fame in 1959 for promoting good relations with foreign students from Mideast and Far East countries.

Eileen retired from Social Services in January 1988 and began pursuing a wide range of activities, many focusing on art. She is preceded in death by her husband, Patrick, December 27, 1998 after 46 years of marriage.

In 2000 Eileen became a member of the Model A Ford Club of Denver where she met Frank Huffman who was her close and loyal companion for many years until his recent death. Eileen’s final years were spent at the Gardens on Quail in Arvada where she was supported by a kind and loving staff.