Tappan, NY - Tappan Location

Eileen Kunkel (nèe Short), 91, loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother passed away on January 12, 2022.
Eileen was born on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1930, to Frank and Mary Short (nèe Kohler). She was the granddaughter of the early 20th-century local celebrity "Shorty" the cop. As the only girl in a family of boys she grew up tough in Lynbrook, Long Island. As a child of The Great Depression, she knew hard times early on and never lost empathy for those less fortunate than her.
Always a go-getter, she joined AT&T right out of high school. Later she found her true calling and put herself through nursing school and became a registered nurse. She graduated from Creedmoor Hospital and began working in city hospitals. During these times she met the love of her life, George Kunkel.

They married in early 1956 and had a son, Christopher by that December. At that point she became a full-time homemaker.
In 1960, George and Eileen moved to Tappan or as their family called it, the country. In 1961, along came Elizabeth and in 1969 Edward. The family was complete.

In 1975, they bought a farm in Keeseville, NY where they would spend their summers being ranchers.

After her children had grown, Eileen went back to work - first as a nurse and later as the office manager for Rockland Cemetery. She became a fixture there over the many years.

Her true love was her family and friends, and she was beloved by all. She kept everyone together by sending birthday and greeting cards. She was the conduit for family news long before the internet.

She is predeceased by her parents, husband, and brothers - Frank Short (Marie), Joseph Short (Grace), Rudy Short (Lucy) and James Edward Short.

She is survived by her children, Chris (Linda), Liz (Matt), and Ed and her grandchildren Meg (Jay), Olivia (Chris), Vicky (Matt), Andrew, Eric, Caleb & Adam. She is also survived by four great–grandchildren and many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

A Funeral Mass will be held for her on Friday, January 21st at 10:30am at the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church in Tappan with burial following in Rockland Cemetery in Sparkill. Visiting hours will be Thursday January 20th, 1-3 and 7-9pm at the Moritz Funeral Home in Tappan.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (https://olshtappan.com) or the Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation (https://wmchealthgiving.org).