Eileen Mae Harwood died at her Minnesota home on June 10, 2024, with her son and wife, Jeff Yenter and Shelly Campbell, at her side. After a four-year journey with ovarian cancer, Eileen finally was overtaken by the disease.
She is survived by her wife of 33 years, Shelly Campbell; son, Jeff Yenter; daughter, Michele Mauri; sisters, Lynne Foerster and Lee Curtiss; and brother, Paul Harwood. She also leaves behind seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
She was born in Bennington, Vt., to Raymond and Florence Harwood. After living in many states, including Alaska, Wisconsin, Georgia and Pennsylvania, she finally settled in Minnesota and served as an associate professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota for 21 years, retiring in 2019. After her retirement, she started a second career as a visual multimedia artist, producing hundreds of pieces of artwork in her backyard studio in Saint Paul, Minn. Her work has been collected by art lovers from all over the world. She will be remembered as a highly intelligent and critical thinker, as well as an accomplished visual artist. If anyone wishes to embrace a cause that she supports, please vote Democrat!