Mary Elizabeth Eichlin, 81, of Easton, passed away on Sunday, December 11, 2022, in St. Luke’s Hospice House. Born May 26, 1941, in Los Angeles, CA, she was the daughter of the late George John and Thelma Marie (née Henderson) Volger. Her husband, Robert Henry Eichlin, passed away in 2010.
Surviving are a son, David G. Fay, a daughter, Sarah Fay Krom, a sister, Helen T. Volger, a brother, George M. Volger, four stepchildren, Valerie A. Paul, Mark H. Eichlin, Lauri F. Henninger, and Robin S. Hahn, a former husband, David A. Fay, 27 grandchildren, and 33 great grandchildren. She is predeceased by two daughters, Mary C. Lewis and Susan E. Cunningham, a sister, Thelma Clare Winchell, and a grandchild, Rosalind G. Lewis.
After years of living in various parts of the U.S. and Venezuela, Mary Elizabeth settled in the Lehigh Valley with her four children in the late 1970s. She worked for Chelsea Prints, Easton Printing Company, and International Women’s Apparel/HMX. She was also a member of St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church, where she sang in the choir.
Mary Elizabeth’s passions were theater and music, and she was active in a number of area theaters, including Chansonnette, where she was on the Board of Directors for several years, Pennsylvania Playhouse, Country Gate Players, Civic Little Theatre, September Chamber Opera Troupe, Center Stage, and Community Theatre & Light Opera Company. Among her more memorable roles are General Matilda in Guys and Dolls (1978), the Fairy Queen in Iolangthe (1978), Vera Charles in Mame (1979), Karen in Applause (1979), Miss Brill in Cheaper by the Dozen (1979), Hortense in The Boyfriend (1980), Mrs. Mullin in Carousel (1981), Mrs. Peachum in Three Penny Opera (1986), Sue in Bells are Ringing (1987), Dame Quickly in Falstaff (1993), and the Witch in Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel (1998).
During her time in Venezuela, Mary Elizabeth was active in the Caracas Playhouse, where she won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role as Katisha in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado. Her fame as a versatile character actor extended to Mrs. Bedwin and the Rose Seller in Oliver, as well as an earlier production of Guys and Dolls.
Her vocal talent was also on display during the annual Musikfest of Bethlehem, the chorus of Cole Porter Review (1977) and Promises Promises (1979), various singing roles in Man of La Mancha (1980), Fiorello, The Quilters (1991), and Menotti’s Old Maid and the Thief, as well as in various church choirs.
Despite her California birth and many moves in the first two decades of her first marriage, Mary Elizabeth was an Iowan through and through. Both parents and all four of her grandparents were from Iowa, and she spent all of her childhood in Muscatine, Iowa, where her father owned the area’s only FM radio station, KWPC. As a music major at Clarke College in Dubuque, she followed closely in her mother’s footsteps. Her mother, Thelma M. Volger, Ph.D., was a professor of music at several universities in the U.S. and Australia, eventually retiring from the field in Iowa.
Mary Elizabeth was an avid reader with a sharp-witted sense of humor that made her the family champion of the weekly New Yorker cartoon contest. She enjoyed a range of murder mysteries and closely followed her favorite series on PBS, BBC, and A&E. A gourmet cook, she also enjoyed her daughter-in-law’s Turkish food, her stepson’s roast turkey, and her daughter’s willingness to try new restaurants in the Easton area. Her greatest pleasure came from keeping up to date on the lives of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. For Mary Elizabeth, even the most ordinary moments carried great value.
Services are planned for January 2023. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton, is overseeing arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to your favorite local theatrical organization. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.
