Eileen Louise Kovatch Mengers, 86, of the Ogden section of Lower Chichester, a retired teacher who became the first female Cubmaster in Pennsylvania, died Nov. 23 at home after a valiant struggle with congestive heart failure.
Born in New York City, Mrs. Mengers grew up in Philadelphia and lived in Chester briefly before moving to her beloved Colonial-era farmhouse in Ogden 63 years ago. A high school graduate at the age of 16, she was the recipient of full scholarships to Immaculate Heart Academy in Fountain Springs where she was an accomplished basketball player and figure skater, and Immaculata College in Chester County where she studied education.
Mrs.
Mengers was a former third-grade teacher at St. Joseph Grade School in Aston and a former substitute teacher at her parish grade school, Holy Saviour, in Lower Chichester, where she volunteered her services for many years. She was a former member of St. Rose of Lima parish in Philadelphia.
Throughout her nearly 65 years as a member of Holy Saviour, Mrs. Mengers was well-known for her altruistic efforts whether it was to find coats or shoes for children in need or purchase prayer books and rosaries for children making their First Holy Communion.
Even when she was bedridden Mrs. Mengers assembled care packages for Holy Saviour's food cupboard that served hundreds of families. She was also a longtime member of the Holy Saviour Women's Club, helping to cater meals in the school auditorium, organize a health fair and participating in other fundraisers for the parish.
Mrs.
Mengers was the chairwoman of Lower Chichester's Bicentennial Celebration in 1976 and was a member of the Linwood Senior Century Club, where she formerly served as scholarship chairwoman. She was a former member of the Junior Century Club of Chester, also known as the Jaycettes, where she would coordinate and model in fashion shows including one in which her husband accompanied the models on violin.
Mrs.
Mengers also helped coordinate fashion shows and international student exchanges as a member of the Women's Guild at her sons' alma mater, Archmere Academy, in Claymont, Del. She once served as a chaperone for Miss Pennsylvania in the Miss America Pageant and modeled the creations of contestant Janet Chalupa in the Miss Pennsylvania pageant.
She served as a den mother for both her sons, 15 years apart, and when no man would step up to the plate to be Cubmaster in the early 1970s, she took on the task so the pack could survive.
When her older daughter was denied entry in a Brownie troop on what Mrs. Mengers suspected were religious grounds in the 1950s, she helped start another troop in the Ogden area. Mrs. Mengers' sense of justice also propelled her to intervene in sometimes risky situations such as the time she came to the aid of a young newspaper carrier in Chester who had just been robbed by older boys.
Mrs.
Mengers also had a sense of adventure, flying 10 miles in a hot air balloon with her sister and two daughters to celebrate her 70th birthday. She presented an antique book she discovered at Booths Corner Farmers Market about a Republican politician named Kennedy to First Lady Jackie Kennedy, via her social secretary Letitia Baldridge, at the White House in 1962 and had tea at the White House with First Lady Pat Nixon about 10 years later.
Mrs. Mengers was known for her generosity, wisdom, and sense of humor, but, most of all, for her kindness.
She was the daughter of the late Louis and Eileen Smith Kovatch and the sister of the late Louis "Buzz" Kovatch, John Kovatch and Karolyn Boettcher.
Survivors: Husband of 66 years, Charles F. Mengers; daughters, Eileen Louise Mengers, Patricia Allis Mengers and her husband, David Kozinski; sons, Charles A. Mengers and his wife, Barbara, David P. Mengers and his wife, Patricia Ann; grandchildren, Sarah Carpenter and her husband, Justin, Elizabeth Magargee and her husband, David, Abigail Mengers, Thomas Mengers, Ian Mengers and Samantha Mengers; two great-grandchildren, Leo Charlie and Adeline Marie Carpenter; nieces; nephews; grandnieces; grandnephews.
Mass: 10 a.m. Saturday, Holy Saviour Church, 108 E. Ridge Road, Linwood, Lower Chichester.
Visitation: 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nolan-Fidale Funeral Home, 5980 Chichester Ave., Bethel Township, and 9 to 9:45 a.m. Saturday at the church.
Burial: Arlington Cemetery, 2900 State Road, Drexel Hill section of Upper Darby.
Contributions: Missionaries of Charity, Gift of Mary, 2714 W. Ninth St., Chester, PA 19013.
Condolences: www.nolanfidale.com. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com
Born in New York City, Mrs. Mengers grew up in Philadelphia and lived in Chester briefly before moving to her beloved Colonial-era farmhouse in Ogden 63 years ago. A high school graduate at the age of 16, she was the recipient of full scholarships to Immaculate Heart Academy in Fountain Springs where she was an accomplished basketball player and figure skater, and Immaculata College in Chester County where she studied education.
Mrs.
Mengers was a former third-grade teacher at St. Joseph Grade School in Aston and a former substitute teacher at her parish grade school, Holy Saviour, in Lower Chichester, where she volunteered her services for many years. She was a former member of St. Rose of Lima parish in Philadelphia.
Throughout her nearly 65 years as a member of Holy Saviour, Mrs. Mengers was well-known for her altruistic efforts whether it was to find coats or shoes for children in need or purchase prayer books and rosaries for children making their First Holy Communion.
Even when she was bedridden Mrs. Mengers assembled care packages for Holy Saviour's food cupboard that served hundreds of families. She was also a longtime member of the Holy Saviour Women's Club, helping to cater meals in the school auditorium, organize a health fair and participating in other fundraisers for the parish.
Mrs.
Mengers was the chairwoman of Lower Chichester's Bicentennial Celebration in 1976 and was a member of the Linwood Senior Century Club, where she formerly served as scholarship chairwoman. She was a former member of the Junior Century Club of Chester, also known as the Jaycettes, where she would coordinate and model in fashion shows including one in which her husband accompanied the models on violin.
Mrs.
Mengers also helped coordinate fashion shows and international student exchanges as a member of the Women's Guild at her sons' alma mater, Archmere Academy, in Claymont, Del. She once served as a chaperone for Miss Pennsylvania in the Miss America Pageant and modeled the creations of contestant Janet Chalupa in the Miss Pennsylvania pageant.
She served as a den mother for both her sons, 15 years apart, and when no man would step up to the plate to be Cubmaster in the early 1970s, she took on the task so the pack could survive.
When her older daughter was denied entry in a Brownie troop on what Mrs. Mengers suspected were religious grounds in the 1950s, she helped start another troop in the Ogden area. Mrs. Mengers' sense of justice also propelled her to intervene in sometimes risky situations such as the time she came to the aid of a young newspaper carrier in Chester who had just been robbed by older boys.
Mrs.
Mengers also had a sense of adventure, flying 10 miles in a hot air balloon with her sister and two daughters to celebrate her 70th birthday. She presented an antique book she discovered at Booths Corner Farmers Market about a Republican politician named Kennedy to First Lady Jackie Kennedy, via her social secretary Letitia Baldridge, at the White House in 1962 and had tea at the White House with First Lady Pat Nixon about 10 years later.
Mrs. Mengers was known for her generosity, wisdom, and sense of humor, but, most of all, for her kindness.
She was the daughter of the late Louis and Eileen Smith Kovatch and the sister of the late Louis "Buzz" Kovatch, John Kovatch and Karolyn Boettcher.
Survivors: Husband of 66 years, Charles F. Mengers; daughters, Eileen Louise Mengers, Patricia Allis Mengers and her husband, David Kozinski; sons, Charles A. Mengers and his wife, Barbara, David P. Mengers and his wife, Patricia Ann; grandchildren, Sarah Carpenter and her husband, Justin, Elizabeth Magargee and her husband, David, Abigail Mengers, Thomas Mengers, Ian Mengers and Samantha Mengers; two great-grandchildren, Leo Charlie and Adeline Marie Carpenter; nieces; nephews; grandnieces; grandnephews.
Mass: 10 a.m. Saturday, Holy Saviour Church, 108 E. Ridge Road, Linwood, Lower Chichester.
Visitation: 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nolan-Fidale Funeral Home, 5980 Chichester Ave., Bethel Township, and 9 to 9:45 a.m. Saturday at the church.
Burial: Arlington Cemetery, 2900 State Road, Drexel Hill section of Upper Darby.
Contributions: Missionaries of Charity, Gift of Mary, 2714 W. Ninth St., Chester, PA 19013.
Condolences: www.nolanfidale.com. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com
Eileen Louise Kovatch Mengers, 86, of the Ogden section of Lower Chichester, a retired teacher who became the first female Cubmaster in Pennsylvania, died Nov. 23 at home after a valiant struggle with congestive heart failure.
Born in New York City, Mrs. Mengers grew up in Philadelphia and lived in Chester briefly before moving to her beloved Colonial-era farmhouse in Ogden 63 years ago. A high school graduate at the age of 16, she was the recipient of full scholarships to Immaculate Heart Academy in Fountain Springs where she was an accomplished basketball player and figure skater, and Immaculata College in Chester County where she studied education.
Mrs.
Mengers was a former third-grade teacher at St. Joseph Grade School in Aston and a former substitute teacher at her parish grade school, Holy Saviour, in Lower Chichester, where she volunteered her services for many years. She was a former member of St. Rose of Lima parish in Philadelphia.
Throughout her nearly 65 years as a member of Holy Saviour, Mrs. Mengers was well-known for her altruistic efforts whether it was to find coats or shoes for children in need or purchase prayer books and rosaries for children making their First Holy Communion.
Even when she was bedridden Mrs. Mengers assembled care packages for Holy Saviour's food cupboard that served hundreds of families. She was also a longtime member of the Holy Saviour Women's Club, helping to cater meals in the school auditorium, organize a health fair and participating in other fundraisers for the parish.
Mrs.
Mengers was the chairwoman of Lower Chichester's Bicentennial Celebration in 1976 and was a member of the Linwood Senior Century Club, where she formerly served as scholarship chairwoman. She was a former member of the Junior Century Club of Chester, also known as the Jaycettes, where she would coordinate and model in fashion shows including one in which her husband accompanied the models on violin.
Mrs.
Mengers also helped coordinate fashion shows and international student exchanges as a member of the Women's Guild at her sons' alma mater, Archmere Academy, in Claymont, Del. She once served as a chaperone for Miss Pennsylvania in the Miss America Pageant and modeled the creations of contestant Janet Chalupa in the Miss Pennsylvania pageant.
She served as a den mother for both her sons, 15 years apart, and when no man would step up to the plate to be Cubmaster in the early 1970s, she took on the task so the pack could survive.
When her older daughter was denied entry in a Brownie troop on what Mrs. Mengers suspected were religious grounds in the 1950s, she helped start another troop in the Ogden area. Mrs. Mengers' sense of justice also propelled her to intervene in sometimes risky situations such as the time she came to the aid of a young newspaper carrier in Chester who had just been robbed by older boys.
Mrs.
Mengers also had a sense of adventure, flying 10 miles in a hot air balloon with her sister and two daughters to celebrate her 70th birthday. She presented an antique book she discovered at Booths Corner Farmers Market about a Republican politician named Kennedy to First Lady Jackie Kennedy, via her social secretary Letitia Baldridge, at the White House in 1962 and had tea at the White House with First Lady Pat Nixon about 10 years later.
Mrs. Mengers was known for her generosity, wisdom, and sense of humor, but, most of all, for her kindness.
She was the daughter of the late Louis and Eileen Smith Kovatch and the sister of the late Louis "Buzz" Kovatch, John Kovatch and Karolyn Boettcher.
Survivors: Husband of 66 years, Charles F. Mengers; daughters, Eileen Louise Mengers, Patricia Allis Mengers and her husband, David Kozinski; sons, Charles A. Mengers and his wife, Barbara, David P. Mengers and his wife, Patricia Ann; grandchildren, Sarah Carpenter and her husband, Justin, Elizabeth Magargee and her husband, David, Abigail Mengers, Thomas Mengers, Ian Mengers and Samantha Mengers; two great-grandchildren, Leo Charlie and Adeline Marie Carpenter; nieces; nephews; grandnieces; grandnephews.
Mass: 10 a.m. Saturday, Holy Saviour Church, 108 E. Ridge Road, Linwood, Lower Chichester.
Visitation: 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nolan-Fidale Funeral Home, 5980 Chichester Ave., Bethel Township, and 9 to 9:45 a.m. Saturday at the church.
Burial: Arlington Cemetery, 2900 State Road, Drexel Hill section of Upper Darby.
Contributions: Missionaries of Charity, Gift of Mary, 2714 W. Ninth St., Chester, PA 19013.
Condolences: www.nolanfidale.com. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com
Born in New York City, Mrs. Mengers grew up in Philadelphia and lived in Chester briefly before moving to her beloved Colonial-era farmhouse in Ogden 63 years ago. A high school graduate at the age of 16, she was the recipient of full scholarships to Immaculate Heart Academy in Fountain Springs where she was an accomplished basketball player and figure skater, and Immaculata College in Chester County where she studied education.
Mrs.
Mengers was a former third-grade teacher at St. Joseph Grade School in Aston and a former substitute teacher at her parish grade school, Holy Saviour, in Lower Chichester, where she volunteered her services for many years. She was a former member of St. Rose of Lima parish in Philadelphia.
Throughout her nearly 65 years as a member of Holy Saviour, Mrs. Mengers was well-known for her altruistic efforts whether it was to find coats or shoes for children in need or purchase prayer books and rosaries for children making their First Holy Communion.
Even when she was bedridden Mrs. Mengers assembled care packages for Holy Saviour's food cupboard that served hundreds of families. She was also a longtime member of the Holy Saviour Women's Club, helping to cater meals in the school auditorium, organize a health fair and participating in other fundraisers for the parish.
Mrs.
Mengers was the chairwoman of Lower Chichester's Bicentennial Celebration in 1976 and was a member of the Linwood Senior Century Club, where she formerly served as scholarship chairwoman. She was a former member of the Junior Century Club of Chester, also known as the Jaycettes, where she would coordinate and model in fashion shows including one in which her husband accompanied the models on violin.
Mrs.
Mengers also helped coordinate fashion shows and international student exchanges as a member of the Women's Guild at her sons' alma mater, Archmere Academy, in Claymont, Del. She once served as a chaperone for Miss Pennsylvania in the Miss America Pageant and modeled the creations of contestant Janet Chalupa in the Miss Pennsylvania pageant.
She served as a den mother for both her sons, 15 years apart, and when no man would step up to the plate to be Cubmaster in the early 1970s, she took on the task so the pack could survive.
When her older daughter was denied entry in a Brownie troop on what Mrs. Mengers suspected were religious grounds in the 1950s, she helped start another troop in the Ogden area. Mrs. Mengers' sense of justice also propelled her to intervene in sometimes risky situations such as the time she came to the aid of a young newspaper carrier in Chester who had just been robbed by older boys.
Mrs.
Mengers also had a sense of adventure, flying 10 miles in a hot air balloon with her sister and two daughters to celebrate her 70th birthday. She presented an antique book she discovered at Booths Corner Farmers Market about a Republican politician named Kennedy to First Lady Jackie Kennedy, via her social secretary Letitia Baldridge, at the White House in 1962 and had tea at the White House with First Lady Pat Nixon about 10 years later.
Mrs. Mengers was known for her generosity, wisdom, and sense of humor, but, most of all, for her kindness.
She was the daughter of the late Louis and Eileen Smith Kovatch and the sister of the late Louis "Buzz" Kovatch, John Kovatch and Karolyn Boettcher.
Survivors: Husband of 66 years, Charles F. Mengers; daughters, Eileen Louise Mengers, Patricia Allis Mengers and her husband, David Kozinski; sons, Charles A. Mengers and his wife, Barbara, David P. Mengers and his wife, Patricia Ann; grandchildren, Sarah Carpenter and her husband, Justin, Elizabeth Magargee and her husband, David, Abigail Mengers, Thomas Mengers, Ian Mengers and Samantha Mengers; two great-grandchildren, Leo Charlie and Adeline Marie Carpenter; nieces; nephews; grandnieces; grandnephews.
Mass: 10 a.m. Saturday, Holy Saviour Church, 108 E. Ridge Road, Linwood, Lower Chichester.
Visitation: 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nolan-Fidale Funeral Home, 5980 Chichester Ave., Bethel Township, and 9 to 9:45 a.m. Saturday at the church.
Burial: Arlington Cemetery, 2900 State Road, Drexel Hill section of Upper Darby.
Contributions: Missionaries of Charity, Gift of Mary, 2714 W. Ninth St., Chester, PA 19013.
Condolences: www.nolanfidale.com. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com
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