Obituaries
Obituary for Eunice Constantino
Eunice Constantino, 98, of Peoria, died Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 5:42 p.m. as she had lived, peacefully at Lutheran Hillside Village where she had been a resident for ten years. She was born August 24, 1913, in Riverton, IL. to Isidoro and Giovannina D’Alfonso Frasco. She married Clyde Constantino in Peoria on August 6, 1937. He died in 1965. Surviving are her children, Jerry (Kathy) Constantino of West End, NC, and Marilyn (Russell) Lease of San Rafael, CA, five grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and six step great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her brother and sister. Eunice had a kind heart, a ready smile and a pleasant demeanor. She remembered almost everyone she met and always had a wave or greeting ready. She never complained for herself. “You know,” she said, “it doesn’t take much to make me happy. I’ve got a roof over my head, food to eat and my kids are happy. What else could I want?” She loved all her grandchildren and great grandchildren, infected all with her love for golf, crossword puzzles and verve for living today for it’s special values. She played the piano, smiled and had a great sense of humor to her dying day. She loved to sing and made up the words she didn’t know. Her last favorite song was “Mother, mother, may I go…” She loved the poem Trees, by Joyce Kilmer, for it’s symbolic meaning and would recite it at the drop of a hat. Her friends were all the people around her at Lutheran Hillside Village and all the people she ever knew. Her philosophy when things didn’t go well was, “Into each life, a little rain will fall.” Eunice graduated from Manual in 1930, was a member of St. Philomena Catholic Church, and lived in Peoria all her life. She was a receptionist for the Lakeview YWCA for 20 years. Her special joy was being with the children as she volunteered at St. Jude Children’s Hospital affiliate in Peoria. She retired in 1990. For 40 years she was an active member and sometimes officer of the Peoria Women’s Golf League and the Madison Nine Hole Golf League. She came within six inches of a hole-in-one once, she told us. She was always down the middle and short. No one was better at giving her best than Eunice. She will be missed. A Memorial Service will be on Saturday, 10:30 a.m. at Waters of Life Chapel at Lutheran Hillside Village. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Cremation rites will be accorded, and burial of cremains will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery in West Peoria. Memorials may be made to Lutheran Hillside Village Foundation Wright & Salmon Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Tributes and condolences may be submitted to www.wrightandsalmon.com.
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