Eileen M. Boland, 91, of Fayetteville passed away September 6, 2017. Born on the 20th of September, 1925 in the heart of London, England, Eileen was a graduate of Old Hugh Myddelton, where she was the fastest runner in the school and won many awards and medals.

As conditions worsened in the city during WWII, Eileen’s father, a London Bobby, retired and moved the family to Olney, as small village in Buckinghamshire. There she met an American GI named William Boland at a dance. They married, and for 70 years their love never faded. They worked together side by side all of their lives, each with an eye to the other’s happiness and that of their family. The wisdom of those two, who held one another's hand until the very moment they were separated, is all that we ever need.

Words to describe Eileen are loyal, loving, forgiving, laughing, singing, dancing, ever welcoming; there are too many to continue. People still stop to tell of small kindnesses that were so natural to her, but that they still remember after forty or more years. The stories she told made us know people that we never had the chance to meet better than many know the living, and in this way she kept our history alive and meaningful.

She never regarded herself as particularly special, but in fact she was singularly the best at every role she undertook; daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She filled the room. She completed every occasion. She will be missed.

She was predeceased by her husband, William E. Boland in 2015; her son, Keith A. Boland in 1973; her parents, Sydney A. and Cecilia M. Horsnail; and sister, May Pricket.

She is survived by two daughters, Lorraine C. Boland and Rebecca L. Thom (William A. Thom) of Fayetteville; son, William S. Boland of Fremont; grandchildren, William, Jessica, Keith and Joshuah; great-granddaughter, Ariana; and many nieces and nephews.

Services will be private.

Contributions may be made to the American Bird Conservancy, P.O. Box 249, The Plains, VA 20198.