Sad News

Eileen Murtagh, retired ENMS math teacher, passed away on January 9, at the age of 81. She was predeceased by her husband, Jack. She is survived by her daughter, Kiera Pfaff; sons Brian And Sean; ten grandchildren, sister Maureen LeLaidier and brother John Quirk. 

Eileen made education a priority for her children and grandchildren and saw her teaching vocation as a gift to all who wanted to learn. In retirement she loved to travel, shop, and master complex recipes. She loved many games and was a tough competitor, often outsmarting her opponents in Scrabble, Rummikub, Scrabble, family poker, card games of all types and high stakes 25-cent buy-in Mah Jong.  She loved the Mets and the Islanders and spared herself from being a Jets fan, but her greatest joy was time spent with her ten grandchildren. 

A funeral mass was celebrated on Saturday, January 10, at the Church of Saint Anne, in Garden City. In Eileen’s memory and in lieu of flowers, kindly donate to either the Diabetes Research Institute or the Susan G Komen Organization to end breast cancer.

R-UTN members who have memories of Eileen they wish to share, can email retirednorthportteachers@gmail.com. Please write Website Memories as the subject, and include your name and former school.

Member Spotlight – Dr. Fran McGarry

So many R-UTN members are spending their retirement years pursuing their passions in inspiring and meaningful ways. Dr. Fran McGarry is a wonderful example.

After more than 30 years teaching English and theater at Northport High School, Fran’s “retirement” has been anything but quiet. She continues to nurture young voices through her work with Sondheim’s Young Playwrights, Inc., and she has built a career as a professional actress

Adding yet another creative chapter, Fran hosts the podcast First Online with Fran, where she shares stories from people around the world whose lives have been transformed by the arts. Fran invites our members to listen to the latest episode of her podcast, Rosie Steward: Freedom-to-Read Revelations. Ms. Steward is the senior public policy manager at Penguin Random House publishers, where she advocates for the freedom to read, and advances the mission of igniting a universal passion for reading by creating books for everyone.