Obituary of Eileen M. Ruege
Eileen M. Ruege, 74, died Tuesday, April 14th surrounded by her daughter, Jackie, son-in-law, Aaron, and her 3 grandsons, Andrew, Alex, and Charlie. Eileen fiercely battled two forms of cancer over the last 2 years traveling to several hospitals and enduring multiple types of treatment. She found peace surrounded by those who loved her most.
Eileen was born on September 27, 1945 in Brooklyn, NY. Her mom, dad, older sister Marion, and she moved to Waldwick, NJ when she was a toddler. She attended St. Luke's School (Ho-ho-kus, NJ) for grammar school and high school and was a member of the parish. As a child, Eileen loved dancing and, although most people don't know this about her, she dreamed of a career as a dancer. Her parents, Arnold and Anna, owned the local luncheonette called the Chocolate Shop. She spent many hours helping out in the family business as a young girl.
After high school, Eileen entered the workforce working for a few different businesses until she settled down working for Kings Supermarkets beginning in the early 1980's. She continued working for the company until her retirement in 2010. She began at the Ridgewood store, and then moved to Midland Park when the company opened a new store. Eileen found many life-long friends through her employment at Kings who stayed near and dear to her through the end.
Eileen lived most of her life in Hawthorne where she raised her daughter, Jackie. She attended St. Anthony's Church and sacrifice so much to send Jackie to St. Anthony's School and then DePaul High School. They only had a modest apartment for their home, but they never wanted for anything because Eileen worked extra jobs on her days off to make sure they always had what they needed.
Eileen loved road trips. She and her daughter, Jackie, traveled each summer, especially to the New England area. She also loved cruises, traveling to Bermuda several times. One of her favorite places to visit was Wildwood, NJ, visiting there each summer for years until her sickness prevented her from going. She especially loved sharing this experience with her grandsons, riding the trolley and tramcar, and playing with boys in the arcade. Eileen enjoyed traveling to Lancaster and spending time in the shops and restaurants.
Eileen's daily life was simple. She worked 6 days a week at Kings. When she had free time she enjoyed going to garage sales, craft fairs or shopping on a Sunday afternoon up at the Rockaway Mall. She attended every one of Jackie's sporting events no matter how tired she was from a hard day at work. She enjoyed socializing and having coffee at a friend's house or attending a bar-be-cue on the weekends. Eileen loved to just be with the people in her life.
Eileen was very loved, and all that met her enjoyed her outgoing personality and down-to-earth attitude about life. She was an extremely hard worker and a well respected employee. She will be missed dearly by her family and friends. Her daughter, son-in-law and 3 grandsons were so thankful for all that she gave to them.
Eileen is also survived by her niece, Denise Morgan of Rochelle Park, her husband, Micahel and their children Erin, Jack, and Kelly. She is survived by her nephew, John Coolong, of North Haledon, and his wife Lori.
