Wellfleet, MA – Eileen passed away on June 4th, 2026, at Cape Cod Hospital after a brief illness, aged 83. She died peacefully with her children, Tim and Kate, by her side and her husband, Ed, nearby. Eileen’s kindness, humor and generous spirit touched many. She loved her family and friends and those in need humbly and without reserve, and we can only resolve to do the same as we grieve her loss.
Born in 1942, in wartime London, Eileen was the cherished, only child of Jack and Bridget Dennehy, who had emigrated from Ireland in search of work. Eileen was reared on ration cards and had survived two air raids by the age of three. She was often sent to the Irish countryside in the summer to stay with her aunties and cousins, whom she adored. She qualified as a physical therapist in 1963 and with a taste for adventure took a job at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.
Eileen arrived in America for the first time in 1965, with the sixties in full swing. She worked diligently but also enjoyed a scintillating Baltimore social life with her close circle of physical therapist friends. One a whim, she auditioned for a play – the Killer. It wasn’t long before she’d fallen for the handsome director, Ed Golden…and he for her. Eventually, Eileen returned to London, and an transatlantic courtship followed, including a disagreement, a reconciliation, a sizeable phone bill, and finally an engagement.
Ed and Eileen were married in 1969 in Cambridge, MA, and before long moved to Boston. Eileen often said she fell in love with Ed first and then with his family. She formed life-long friendships with Ed’s parents, Marie and Ed Senior; his sisters, Alicia and Jane; his brothers, Mark and Bill; and their partners. Eileen’s own parents would visit nearly every summer or host Eileen, Ed, Kate and Tim back in England or Ireland. Eileen treasured these visits with her parents, who, like her, loved a gathering and stories and a good laugh.
In 1973, Eileen became a mother for the first time to Kate. Tim was born three years later, and the family settled in Sunderland, Massachusetts, where they lived for more than three decades. Eileen was a doting, fun-loving mother to Kate and Tim who felt her absolute, unconditional love at every turn.
Eileen worked steadily as a physical therapist wherever she was. She loved the work and felt a deep connection with her patients, who appreciated her through many beautiful cards, loaves of banana bread and kind words. She began working at the Farren Hospital in Turners Falls in 1984 where she met a second set of life-long friends – her colleagues Pat, Marian, Sueanne, Ron and Sherry, among others. When the Farren closed, she and Pat started their own practice, which continued for more than 25 years until Eileen’s retirement in 2014. Throughout this time, she also made dear friends in Sunderland and the Pioneer Valley.
Eileen became a grandmother for the first time to Declan Fitzmaurice (2011), followed by Stella Golden (2012), Isaac Fitzmaurice (2014) and Sam Golden (2014). The love bond with each grandchild was instantaneous, as she rocked, cajoled, read to and generally indulged each of them with attention and bacon sandwiches. She understood and delighted in each grandchild’s unique temperament, and they felt her love deeply.
In their final chapter, Eileen and Ed retired to Wellfleet, Cape Cod in 2014, where they built a new circle of close friends, including Maura, Paul and Kelly and fellow parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Mary, Dottie and Evelyn, among others. Finally, following some health issues, Ed and Eileen moved into The Terraces nursing home in Orleans in 2024. Eileen resisted the move at first but grew to deeply appreciate and enjoy the wonderful staff at the Terraces who took such excellent care of her.
Eileen is survived by her loving husband Ed Golden currently of Orleans; son Tim Golden and wife Carine Golden of Toronto, Canada; daughter Kate Golden and husband Peter Fitzmaurice of Belfast, Northern Ireland; grandchildren Declan and Isaac Fitzmaurice and Stella and Sam Golden.
May she rest in peace.
The Funeral Mass will be held on July 9th at 11:00 am at Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Orleans, MA. In lieu of flowers, consider donating to the Lily House www.thelilyhouse.org
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