Eileen Daugherty, 92, a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend passed away peacefully in her home on Tuesday, March 14, 2017, after a 10-year struggle with Alzheimer's dementia. She would have been 93 years old today, March 16 .

Geraldine Eileen Peters was born on March 16, 1924, in West Middlesex, Pa. She was raised in Brookfield, Ohio, graduating from Brookfield High School in 1942, where she was a cheerleader. She often spoke of how much she loved her high school years and the many lifelong friends she continued to keep in contact with. She was active in planning high school reunions for the class up until the time of her illness. She loved the Brookfield community and said there was nowhere else she would rather live.

Eileen married James C. "Lefty" Daugherty on Feb. 5, 1944, in Ballinger, Texas, where Lefty was training as a fighter pilot prior to his deployment to Italy during WW II. Eileen worked as a telephone operator in Sharon and a buyer at the Sharon Store up until the birth of their son in 1953.

Eileen loved to dance and bowl, as well as spending time with her family and many friends. She was a past member of the Brookfield PTA, the Masury/Brookfield Womenás Club, the Brookfield United Methodist Church and the Tuesday morning Women's Bowling League at Thornton Hall. She also enjoyed meeting friends for coffee and doughnuts in the mornings at the Hermitage Giant Eagle.

She is survived by her son, James and his wife, Teresa Rice Daugherty of Brookfield; and her two grandsons, Adam and Brian, both of Cleveland, Ohio.

Eileen was preceded in death by the love of her life, Lefty, on Nov. 24, 1985; and by her mother, Dolly Peters; her grandparents, John and Jenny Peters, who raised her; her uncles Guinn, Frank, Jim and Jack Peters; and her aunt Myrtle Peters Eagleson, who were like brothers and sisters.
Eileen's family and friends will dearly miss her, but take great comfort that she and Lefty have been reunited and that she is with the family and many friends that have passed on before her.

The family would like to send a special thank you to her caregivers for their exceptional care and compassion during her illness. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that monetary donations be made to the Brookfield United Methodist Church, 6951 Grove St., Brookfield, Ohio 44403.

Calling hours will be 4 p.m. until the time of service on Friday, March 17, 2017 , in J. Bradley McGonigle Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 1090 E. State St., Sharon.

A funeral service will be 6 p.m. Friday , in the funeral home, with the Rev. Richard Smith, pastor of the Brookfield United Methodist Church, officiating.

Interment will be in Brookfield Township Cemetery.