“Loving and bright” were the words Eileen Moffa’s eldest son used to describe his mother’s personality.
Eileen “Beanie” Moffa, who worked at Seton Hill University from 2005-2016, passed away on March 10 at age 51 after battling cancer.
During her time at SHU, Eileen Moffa served as an administrative assistant. After working in the registrar’s office, she moved to Reeves Memorial Library, where she supervised work-study students each semester. Eileen Moffa also earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from SHU in December 2015, graduating alongside her eldest son, Samuel “Sam” Moffa.
“Graduating with a parent does not happen often,” Sam Moffa said in an email. “For me, it was an honor and privilege. She was the hardest worker I knew and getting that degree was one of the highlights of her life. For her, it was a culmination of everything she has worked towards, so I was truly blessed to share that day with her.”
A memorial service was held at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Greensburg on March 25, led by David von Schlichten, assistant professor of religious studies at SHU. Eulogies were given by Eileen Moffa’s longtime friend Wendy Veshosky and Sam Moffa.
“The support my family has felt from everyone in our lives has been humbling,” Sam Moffa said. “The amount of people that cared enough to show up and lend their support was truly incredible. When I was in front of the group giving my eulogy, I was in awe of the many, many faces in attendance.”
In his eulogy, Sam Moffa discussed his mother’s love for her family, the Pittsburgh Penguins and music, writing “she’s the reason that those three things are so close to my heart.” Toward the end of the service, each person in attendance chose a seashell to place in a remembrance jar that was given to Eileen Moffa’s family.
“My mom and I were always incredibly close,” Sam Moffa said. “I am your cliché Momma’s Boy. I got most of my personality traits from her, so it was easy for us to get along. Her unconditional support for me had the greatest impact overall. No matter what I did or wanted to do, she was there supporting me every step of the way.”
Eileen Moffa, the youngest of eight siblings, grew up in Greensburg and recently moved to Florida in July 2016 to live with her sister Barbara. Along with Sam, she had two other children: her daughter, Sara, and her youngest son, Antonio. Eileen Moffa was also the grandmother of Bailey, the daughter of Sara and her husband, Grant Monnich.
Sam Moffa said although it was difficult to watch his mother throughout her battle, she still “held her own and fought to the very end.” He knows people will remember his mother’s “unconditional love and loyalty and her undying spirit.”
“It didn’t matter who you were or where you came from, she loved everyone the same,” Sam Moffa said. “She was a shining beacon of love.”
Jennifer Jones, assistant professor of communication at SHU, shared an excerpt of an assignment that Eileen Moffa wrote as a student in one of her courses.
“The meaning of life in my eyes has always been the fact that I am motivated by love. That is my personal meaning of life. Now the greater meaning of life…I would think is based on loving and serving God…Life is not always what we have dreamt it to be…plans do not go as expected. We lose people we love, and our hearts break. This is what makes us authentic and able to love others more deeply.”
Please feel free to leave a comment if you would like to share condolences or memories of Eileen Moffa.
Photos courtesy of the Moffa family.
Published By: Paige Parise
Beanie was honestly the nicest woman that I met in my time at Seton Hill. I remember asking her for help locating books in the library, and she was always smiling and happy to help. Beanie would have a conversation with you to ask how your day was going. It didn’t matter who you were, she would always say “Hi, how are you?” 100% of the time, talk to you about anything, or wave at you if you made eye contact with her. It was perfect that she worked in the library because you always had something to smile about after talking to her. She will be greatly missed, and I’m honored to have met her.