“The song is ended, 
but the memory 
lingers on.”  
Irving Berlin

She was the last of her generation to be born. Last night, she became the last of her generation to die. Sister Eileen Healy, B.V.M. passed away at the motherhouse of her order in Dubuque, Iowa at the age of 90. 

Eileen was one of my mother’s cousins. Her father and my Mom’s mother were siblings. They were the foundation of a large, Irish-Catholic family in San Francisco. 

It took me a while to get to know Eileen. In my early childhood, she had already entered the sisterhood, so she wasn’t around much. All I knew of her was gleaned from a photo of her in the living room of her parents’ home. I had been told that the photo was of Sister Mary Patrick Ellen. Years later, I met Sister Eileen Healy. I don’t recall how long it took for me to realize that they were the same person.

I will be forever grateful to have known so many from her generation and that of her parents. Growing up knowing extended family members is something I took for granted throughout most of my life. In recent years, having attended the funerals of so many of them, I came to appreciate what a gift it was to have known them.

With Eileen’s passing last night, the generation of my parents in our family has come to an end. No longer is there a buffer between us Baby Boomers and death. For some, this might beg the question, “Who’s next?” I prefer not to think about this.

I remember my Aunt Lucille. At a number of weddings I attended prior to my own, Lucille would come up to me at some point during the reception, pinch my cheek, and say, “You’re next!” I’m sure she meant well, but I never appreciated that exchange. I was tempted, at a few family funerals prior to Lucille’s, to walk up to her at the reception, pinch her cheek, and say, “You’re next!” I thought better of it. Lucille was too sweet of a person for me to do such a thing.

I don’t know what it’s like to arrive in Heaven. Hopefully, some day I will. Until such time, I will continue to embrace the images I picked up from hearing my parents and grandparents speaking about the reunion that takes place in Heaven when a loved one dies. According to the lessons I learned, right about now, Eileen is sitting at a table with her parents, her siblings, and a number of other family members enjoying a cup of hot tea, some warm Irish soda bread, and some long overdue conversation. 

With Eileen’s passing, we are now the elders.