Eileen M. (Solomon) Brandsen

Our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend passed suddenly and unexpectedly in her sleep on July 15, 2006. Our loss is immeasurable. She was the center of our family and of our hearts.

Eileen was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, on Oct. 8, 1946.

After graduating from high school, she moved with her family to Coeur d'Alene, where she married her first husband and had her first child, Pam Morgan. The family then moved to Moscow, where her son, Jon Miller, was born. Both children now reside in Kent, Wash.

She was an involved, caring and fun mother, always showing the children they were special and that their futures were boundless.

Life then brought Eileen to Kennewick, Wash., where she met and married Dave Brandsen, her loving companion for 19 years. Eileen and Dave moved to Maui, which is where we will forever picture her in our minds; on the beach, watching the whales and sunsets, perpetually tanned, and always with a smile on her face.

After the birth of her grandchildren, Keanan, Cole and Trey Morgan, and Madison and Tayler Miller, all of Kent. Eileen and Dave moved back to the Northwest to be closer to and become more involved in the lives of their grandchildren.

The role of grandma was an activity she entered into eagerly and happily. She took tremendous pride and joy in her grandchildren, and planned a special outing for them every summer. Her last granddaughter, Kailee Irwin, daughter of Brook Brandsen Irwin, of Richland, Wash., arrived just this year.

Eileen and Dave had many hobbies — a beautiful yard, Nascar, boating, the Mariners, and motorcycling, but family always came first.

She is survived by her husband, Dave; her children and grandchildren; her mother, Mildred Solomon; her brothers, Gary Solomon and Jim Solomon; and sisters, Sue Flammia, Anne Solomon, Lori Solomon and Julie Smith. She is preceded in death by her father, John Solomon.

To our "Eenie," we love you with all of our hearts.