Burlington Notre Dame School

Juneau - "Take the tarts when they're passed!" was a snippet of advice you may have heard from Eileen Walsh Wagner. It was a saying handed down from her mother, a reminder to seize opportunities when they arose. Eileen worked literary quotes and pithy sayings into conversation even while knocking dirt off her hiking boots or heating up soup over a camp stove. "If 'twere done," another common refrain, was her Shakespearian call to action. Eileen passed away on May 20, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska, at the age of 77. She was a reader, writer, educator, traveler, social and environmental activist, and steadfast friend. She raised three children and relished the role of proud grandparent. Eileen was born in Burlington, Iowa, to Catherine and Mark Walsh. She grew up with her mother and two older sisters. Eileen earned a Bachelor's Degree in English from Manhattanville College and a Master's in Education from Boston College, then taught elementary school and special education on the east coast. In 1975 a late-night phone call from a distant time zone became a pivotal moment in her life; a career teaching in rural Alaska awaited. Having traveled here in the early 70s, Eileen knew the people and land were unlike anywhere else. She found community and ingenuity in the villages of interior Alaska, and soon she met, married, and started a family with Tom Wagner, a fellow Teacher Corps transplant from Colorado. In 1981, after a stint in Madison, Wisconsin, Eileen and Tom packed their two small children and a Volkswagen Bug into a moving truck bound for Juneau. Eileen found a house on Starr Hill for her family, had another child, and wove herself into the fabric of the community. Between raising Maria, Elizabeth, and John, Eileen worked jobs in education and literacy and built a life that she loved. She treasured the outdoors and cultivated a love of hiking, berry-picking, and cross-country skiing. Eileen enjoyed a sweet treat and afternoon tea, and would invariably ask for "just a kind word" on her birthday. An observer and vivid reporter of amusing interactions, she enjoyed bird watching and people watching alike, but also prized her alone time. Eileen calmly solved problems and lifted people up. She tutored English, read books to children, organized refugee relief efforts, and joined peace and climate movements. She was a steady force in a chaotic world, a source of inspiration in times of dark- ness, and a person of action when others sat on the sidelines. She will be deeply missed by many. Eileen was preceded in death by her parents and sister Sheila. She is survived by her sister Kath- leen; husband Tom; children Maria, Elizabeth (George), and John (Erica); grandchildren Jay, Frankie, Bernadette, and Isla; eight nieces and nephews; and many friends and neighbors.