Frances Leila Eiteljorge

Frances Leila (Harrant) Eiteljorge died on Monday, Jan. 20, 2014 in Bloomington, Ind.

She was born on July 13,1923 in Kaukauna, Wis.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Everett Wayne Eiteljorge.

She is survived by her daughter, Francie Hurst; son-in-law David Hurst; son, Terrance (E.J.) Eiteljorge; daughter-in-law, Caroline Eiteljorge; grandsons Michael Buchanan and Evin Eiteljorge; granddaughters Jenny (Dan) Sparks and Marcy Bennett; great-granddaughters Sarah Sparks, Nikki Boden, Chelsea Sparks and Riley Bennett; and great-grandsons Ethan Sparks and Tyler Bennett.

She is also survived by many nieces, nephews and friends.

A longtime resident of Haleyville, Ala., she spent the past three years with her daughter and son-in-law in Bloomington.

Leila was a retired registered nurse who served Winston County, Ala., as a visiting public health nurse. Traveling the length and breadth of the county she drove thousands of miles to ensure her patients received quality health care on a regular basis.

After retiring, Leila was able to satisfy her lifelong passion for traveling the world. She traveled throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.

A deeply religious Catholic, she was able to participate in religious pilgrimages to the Holy Land and Medjugorje, Yugoslavia.

She was devoted to the Catholic Church and was a founding member of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish in Haleyville, Ala. Because of her devotion to the church she was accepted as a Dame in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

She worked tirelessly to support the church and her parish, especially during the annual parish bake sale. She combined her piety with action by making rosaries. During her life she made hundreds of rosaries and sent them to service members deployed overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as to wounded service members hospitalized at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. She also was a confirmation teacher and provided rosaries for her students.

Leila was an expert at all needlecrafts, and especially loved knitting and crocheting. While living in Alabama, she organized a ministry that made baby dolls for Children's Hospital in Birmingham so that every sick child was given a doll for comfort. She took particular pride in making knitted hats for newborn babies and over the past few years made a hat each day for the babies and children at Middle Way House, a shelter for women and children fleeing violence at home.

She was a lifelong sports fan and was particularly devoted to the Chicago Cubs, the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Auburn University Tigers. Some of her happiest memories were attending games at Wrigley Field and the campuses of Notre Dame and Auburn University.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Middle Way House, 338 S. Washington St., Bloomington, IN 47401, Pets Alive Nonprofit Spay/Neuter Clinic at 2444 S. Walnut St., Bloomington, IN, or your local Relay for Life.

Those wishing to pay their respects may participate in the public visitation on Thursday, Jan. 23 from 5-7 p.m. at Allen Funeral Home, 4155 S. Old State Road 37, Bloomington.

Burial will be in Forest Hill Cemetery, Greencastle, at 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24.

Allen Funeral Home is handling arrangements. Friends can send condolences to www.allenfuneralhome.org.