Eileen H. Powers of Southampton Dies April 17

At any age, she would have died young. Such was the vitality of Eileen Powers, who surely lit up the skies on April 17, 2024. Eileen passed away after a brief illness, departing with an agenda full of plans for family celebrations, appointments with beloved friends, and theater tickets clipped to her desk calendar.

Eileen was born in New York City in 1937 to Mary and John Herlihy, and though she lived on many coasts, the city was a constant heartbeat. She is survived by her daughters, Jennifer Powers and Cecilia P. Owen; her son-in-law Stephen Owen; and two grandchildren; her siblings, Catherine Brogan and Thomas Herlihy; and stepdaughter Maribeth Moody. She is predeceased by her husband of 47 years, John A. Powers, a love story that danced over their lives and covered our walls with memories. In the words of her favorite poet, Louis MacNeice, they “left all of London littered with remembered kisses.”

Eileen’s enduring love of the written word developed at Marymount College, where she received several academic scholarships, studied literature and graduated with high honors. Her first job as a teacher was brief and inglorious (it lasted two weeks, to the relief of all), and a notable career in modeling ensued. For editorials, catalogs, and runways, Eileen traveled extensively and so grew a treasure of friendships across the globe. Modeling fulfilled a love for adventure and madcap, including an ad campaign gone awry when the Cuban Revolution interrupted a bathing suit shoot in Havana. The fashion world later rubbed off in all the best ways: Eileen showed up for school field trips to Muir Woods in red kitten heels and wore Adolfo to Gristedes.

In the 60’s, Eileen retired as a model and assumed the role of CEO and COO of all things Powers when she married her beloved Jack. Their life spanned New York, Southampton, London, San Francisco, and Farmington, CT. In her increasingly cherished position as Communications Director, Eileen bravely faced technology. She gamely mastered the iPhone, as anyone who ever met her will attest. Life barely contained her, and it was, as she said, a “merrichase.” So it is with joy that we remember her in ours, made brighter by her keen intelligence, abundant generosity, outrageous humor, and endless love. The week she passed, Eileen planned to attend two lectures, three lunches, one play, and enrolled in Tap Class for Seniors at the Southampton library. She also had her old Screen Actors Guild card in her wallet, “just in case.”

A family memorial service will be held at St. Vincent Ferrer and a celebration of life planned for summer. In memory, donations may be directed in the name of Eileen Powers to the Rogers Memorial Library, 91 Coopers Farm Road, Southampton, NY 11968.