Judith A. Eisenmann, 81, died quietly in her sleep on Dec. 28, 2020. She had been suffering from dementia for the last several years. Born in 1939 to Helen and Robert Shylin, she grew up in Oak Park. A life-long learner and avid reader. She worked in libraries most of her life, starting at the Maze Branch of the Oak Park Public Library when she was just a teenager. When the family lived in Westfield, New Jersey (1969-1984), Judy worked as a librarian at the Westfield Public Library. She was the librarian at McLean School in Potomac, Maryland until 1991 and retired as the librarian for Trinity High School in River Forest in 2005.
She became an accomplished genealogist and enjoyed spending time poring over census and other records to track the origins of her family. She seemed most happy sharing the latest discoveries of the family roots with her children.
An active member of the Catholic Church her entire life, she was a Eucharistic minister and helped form a Christian Family Movement (CFM) group at Holy Trinity Church in Westfield. She volunteered in the RCIA programs at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Potomac and Ascension Church when she returned to Oak Park in 1991. She was also a lector at Ascension for many years.
She was an enthusiastic and unabashed Chicago White Sox fan. She knitted afghans, as well as baby blankets for her grandchildren, grand-nieces and -nephews and friends’ grandchildren.
A graduate of Ascension Elementary School in Oak Park and Notre Dame High School for Girls in Chicago, she earned her bachelor degree in English from Loyola University Chicago and her Master in Library Service from Rutgers University.
Judy is survived by her sister, Elaine (Herb) Thompson; her children, Jim (Lynn Jennings) Eisenmann, Tom (Yuliya) Eisenmann, Dan (Erin) Eisenmann, and Kate Eisenmann-Cabral (Robert Cabral); her grandchildren, Griffin, Amelia, Vassily, Yevdokia, Kristofer, Kelly, Mateo and Nina; and many nieces and nephews.
A funeral Mass was celebrated at Ascension Catholic Church on Jan. 9. Her remains will be buried at Rosehill Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers please send donations to Ascension Church (https://www.ascensionoakpark.com/apps/pages/giving), Ascension Elementary School (https://p2p.onecause.com/acensionschool/donate) and/or the Oak Park Public Library (https://www.oppl.org/about/give).
