Eileen A. Hoffner, 87, of Esmond, ND passed away Monday, August 3, 2020 at Heartland Care Center in Devils Lake, ND. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM Tuesday, August 11, 2020 at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Esmond with Fr. Brian Bachmeier celebrating. Visitation will take place Monday, August 10, 2020 at St. Boniface Catholic Church from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM with Rosary and Vigil service to follow. Burial will be at the St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery in Esmond, ND. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery: 108 Alta Avenue Esmond, ND 58332.

Due to Covid-19, the following CDC recommendations are highly encouraged: social distancing, hand cleansing and sanitization, and wearing masks. Please stay home if you are not feeling well or have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

Eileen was the 6 ^th child of 8 children to Andrew Bray and Margret (Hanley) Bray on August 31, 1932. She was born and raised in Harold's Cross of Dublin, Ireland. She was educated in Our Lady's Mount Convent School, and attended church at the Holy Rosary Church in Harold's Cross. Growing up she worked at Sweeney's Grocery as a cashier, Irish Sweepstakes as a bookkeeper, Pay-n-Take grocery as a cashier, and later for PJ Gilmanton's as a bookkeeper which was a gambling outlet.

In 1955, Eileen decided to follow some of her brother and sisters to the United States. She arrived in May and traveled to Seattle where she stayed with her sisters, Maureen and Una. She worked at Ernest Hardware where she was the head bookkeeper. It was in Seattle she met Eddie Hoffner. They were married on February 20, 1960 and moved to a farm approximately six miles west of Maddock. Together on the farm they had five children: Bobby, John, Danny, Elizabeth, and Frances. Around 1966 they purchased the Ronglie Plum farm property on the south end of Esmond. In February of 1968, they moved to Esmond where they had one more child, Tommy. Eileen raised her kids in the home.

Once the kids had grown up, she had a couple of personal home care jobs. She later purchased a house in Fargo where she helped her son Tommy out. Eileen lived there part time while helping out at the Salvation Army. She sold the house after Tommy passed away in 2014. December 18, 2019 Eileen moved into the Eventide Heartland Long Term Care Center in Devils Lake where she stayed until her passing.

Eileen always had a love for her homeland of Ireland, and always enjoyed St. Patrick's Day. She loved listening to Irish music, and loved watching anything pertaining to Ireland. She loved her family very much and would do anything for her children. Eileen often talked about her mom, dad, brothers and sisters and their families and shared pictures and memories from her days growing up in Ireland. She loved Christmas and always made it a special time for her family. Church and prayer were very important to Eileen. She always felt good after attending a church service, though attending became difficult in her later years. She was very spiritual and often would end a conversation with her children telling them to: "say your prayers". Eileen loved her pets, loved the lilacs in the spring, enjoyed watching CNN to keep up on current affairs, and TCM for old movies, her favorite actress was Maureen O'Hara. Eileen will be remembered for her kindness and her ability to always see the good in people.

Eileen was survived by her brother, Leo (Ida) of Seattle, WA; children, Bobby (Wanda Bullinger) of Esmond, ND, John (Kelly) of Minneapolis, MN, Danny (Kathy Pryor) of Colorado Springs, CO, Elizabeth Georgioff (Jim) of Minneapolis, MN, Frances Molina (Genner) of Colorado Springs, CO; former daughter-in-law, DeLene (Miller) Hoffner of Colorado Springs, CO; 11 grandchildren; one great grandchild; many nieces and nephews.

Eileen was preceded in death by her parents; siblings, Maureen, Danny, Frank, Gretta, Ned, and Una; husband, Eddie; and son, Tommy.