Eileen t. (Clancy) Dodson

January 01, 1970

Eileen Theresa (Clancy) Dodson

Age 93, of Ross Township. On Monday January 25, 2021, Born May 24, 1927 in Pittsburgh, Pa. Daughter of the late Matthew and Julia Clancy. Beloved wife for 69 years to the late John (Jack) Dodson; loving mother of Ronald (Adele), Richard (Janet), Larry (Alice), Linda Stubanas (John), Gary (Laurie) and the late Sharon; proud grandmother of 11; and great-grandmother of six; sister to Shirley Deasy and the late Mary Ann O’Malley, Patrick Clancy, Margaret “Peggy” Thornton, Thomas Clancy and Irene Thornton. She is also survived by loving nieces, nephews, friends and relatives.
Eileen was the first in her family to be born in America. As a youngster she lived in the Garfield area of Pittsburgh. As a young woman she worked for the family business (Matt and Julia Clancy’s Tavern) where the Irish gathered for celebration and dancing.
She met Jack, a really swell guy and the love of her life in 1944. It was during WWII when their love blossomed. They exchanged letters while Jack trained at the Naval Air Technical Training Center in Chicago and Eileen studied for her beautician license. Soon after Jack’s tour of duty ended in Norfolk he returned to ask for Eileen’s hand in marriage. He often spoke of her sparkling brown eyes and lovingly called her “Irish”.
They had a plan. They would raise their six children and later retire as snowbirds where for twenty years they had “fun in the sun”. They would remark that they had the best of both worlds, six months in Ft Myers and six months in Slippery Rock all the while enjoying their close knit families.
Later they spent 10 truly Golden years in Asheville where they lived with Larry and Alice and would watch Dominic and Calum grow up helping out in their formative years. Soon they came full circle and moved back to Pittsburgh to live out their final years. Eileen always stressed the importance of family. She was the embodiment of that sentiment and was loved by all.
Eileen prided herself in a neat and orderly home. When Jack and Eileen sold their home in Perrysville the real estate listing stated that “Mrs Clean” lives here. That could not have been more true and she loved the moniker.
As a young girl as was the custom in those days during the big screen era, Eileen kept a scrap book of the stars. Ronald Reagan was her favorite so much so that she named her first born John Ronald. Little did she know at the time that her idol would one day be destined to lead the country.
Eileen was very interested in current events and was known to read the paper end to end daily; we called her our CNN junkie. She kept up with the pace of the techno world and at the age of 88 navigated her way with her Ipad to be the queen of Facebook where she could stay in touch with family and stay on top of family happenings.
May you rest in peace “Irish” and until we meet again may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Arrangements by DEVLIN FUNERAL HOME, INC., 806 Perry Highway, North Hills. In lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association , 100 W. Station Square Drive #1900, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. A memorial service will be held at a later date as the funeral service will be private.