Obituary of Margaret Eileen Kingsbury

died of gall bladder cancer peacefully and without pain at home on September 22 at the age of 79. Eileen was born and raised on a farm in Farmington, Prince Edward Island, Canada, the youngest of seven children. She was predeceased by her parents John and Catherine (MacPhee) Larkin and her six siblings: Alexander, Paul, Wencil, Gwendolyn, Muriel and Desmond. She is survived by her husband Paul I. Kingsbury, Jr., her son Paul I., III, (Wanda), her daughter Susan (Larry) Shaffer, her son Andrew, her five grandchildren: Alexis Shaffer, Larry Shaffer, III, Marley Kingsbury, Christopher Kingsbury, Jack Kingsbury and many nieces and nephews. Eileen graduated from Saint Peters (PEI) High School and secretarial school. She taught eight grades in a one-room school on Prince Edward Island for a year. She married Paul Kingsbury on June 15, 1957, in the Bowdoin College chapel. She worked for the next ten years supporting her husband as he pursued his graduate education and served in the military, while at the same time delivering and raising three children. She worked at the Framingham, Mass., National Bank, at Remington Rand in Middletown, Conn., and she operated a grocery store in Stadium Village, a community of some 300 student families, on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. While residing in Stadium Village, Eileen edited the village newspaper, the Village Voice. After moving to Elmira, Eileen raised her three children to high-school age and then operated a decorating business in Elmira for twenty years with her business partner and best friend Aimee Lester. Active in tennis for many years, Eileen and Fran Morrisey were the Twin Tier Racquet Club Women's Doubles Champions in 1977. More recently, Eileen held her own in several golf leagues and the Chemung County Senior Games. Eileen was active in church and community endeavors. She worked at the Elmira Community Kitchen and established the Trust in the Lives of Older Women group at the First Presbyterian Church in Elmira. She was a member of the Elmira Junior League. Eileen and her husband Paul led a full and rich life for fifty-seven years. They traveled extensively, at first with their children, then alone together, and more recently with their grandchildren. They covered 48 of the 50 states, much of Europe, many islands of the Caribbean, several islands of Greece, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and, of course, Canada, where Eileen continued to maintain her citizenship. When traveling alone, they enjoyed traveling independently in an automobile, meeting people and exploring the wonders of the world. They hiked the Cinque Terre, the Milford Track, Cornwall and more. Eileen's first love was her family, to which she dedicated her life to the very end. She will be sorely missed by them and by all who knew her through her love and generosity. Friends are invited to McInerny Funeral Home, 502 W. Water Street, Elmira on Friday, September 26, 2014 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, September 27, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 1054 W. Clinton Street, Elmira. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Eileen's name to CareFirst, 11751 East Corning Road, Corning, NY 14830-3657; to the Hokusei Gakuen Fund at the First Presbyterian Church, 1054 West Clinton Street, Elmira, New York 14905; or to Sayre House of Hope, 312 Chemung Street, Sayre, PA 18840.