Eileen Siegel Kahana

August 4th, 2023

Eileen and I were “next door neighbors” teaching 6th grade at Pulaski Elementary School. She taught me many things and was a great listener. I’ll always remember her vibrant personality, quick wit and wry humor. She will be missed.
Dave and I wish her family peace and love.

~Sandy DECHANT
~co-worker and friend, Chicago

August 1st, 2023

I knew her very early at Middleton School.About 2 years ago I posted a video from 21 years ago when she gave a speech at our 30th Niles East reunion.I saw her last summer at

~Bruce Williams
~Classmate, Morton Grove ,IlI

July 31st, 2023

Our sincerest condolences to Dubi and sons .
Eileen and my sister Caryn were longtime friends. They meet when they booth began teaching and remained friends for decades. .
May memories be a blessing to family and friends.
Sharon and Larry Dorfman

~Sharon Dorfman
~Family friend, Aventura ,Florida

July 31st, 2023

Eileen as a teacher mentor often reminded me with prayer and advice about appreciating the positives in our work life roles as Mentor and Manager. She would then tell me about how some things I had done or said had made a difference for her. My heart would swell. What a joy it was to feel appreciated. It often caused me to invest more time and effort in our goals to improve the educational outcomes for students through improving selected teacher’s practices. I learned to better communicate my appreciation by paying attention, by taking time to notice the special unique efforts of the other teacher mentors / collegues took on my behalf. Eileen exhibited skills and a quality that blessed me in indescribable ways. I often tried to expressed my appreciation of her efforts with a few sincere words that supported my belief that I was blessed by what she had said or done as a friend and mentor. What I noted from Eileen grows in value due in part to the awareness and encouragement that she used to professionally inspire me. I’ve been blessed by her actions, words and prayers.

Eileen enriched my life and me helped me to realize that I knew true abundance with family and work and that primarily that Life is a Gift.

~Dr. Rudolph Anderson Jr.
~Co- Manager / Colleague w Chicago Public Schools Fresh Start Initiative . Worked with Eileen to improve teaching and learning in schools., IL

July 30th, 2023

I was saddened to see Eileen’s obituary in today’s Chicago Tribune. I knew Eileen as a vivacious checker at the Jewel on Dempster in Skokie. While at Evanston Township High School (and my freshman year at Northwestern!), I often bagged groceries at Eileen’s register, and came to know Eileen as mischievous, and fun-spirited. Eileen always made my awkward adolescence less awkward, and I am forever grateful to her for that. My sincere condolences to Dov and Eileen’s family and friends. Bob Birndorf

~Robert Birndorf
~Co-Worker/Friend, Glencoe

July 30th, 2023

I remember Eileen as a wonderful 6th grade teacher at Pulaski Academy. She was esteemed and loved by many on the staff and especially by her many students over the years. She was an outstanding teacher.

~Rob Alexander
~Former principal, Chicago, Il

July 30th, 2023

We have so many memories of Eileen. Becoming friends in college. Her first apartment in Evanston and her very cool convertible. Memories of her job at Jewel. Dave taught with her at Hughes school. I taught with her at Bryn Mawr. She attended our wedding and honeymoon. Although the honeymoon involvement was short lived. She needed somewhere to stay briefly. While there, she did come up with the idea to take the chair cushions at the hotel pool and use them to float on in the pool. Unfortunately, they inflated with water to about 100 lbs., and it took about 12 employees to remove them. That memory always brought smiles. We were so happy when Eileen married Dov and then we had kids. We always traded stories about our children. Later when it came to college, she worked so hard to find the right school for both boys. Years went on and our friendship remained. I came to appreciate how strong, brave, and later how creative Eileen was as we got older. I do remember her redecorating her living room with the use of tea bags and later she would create her improve group. She was always straight forward and always, always made us laugh. That was the joy of having Eileen as your friend. Her memory will be forever in our hearts.

~Marsha and David Mahoney
~friend, Lake Geneva WI