After a battle with cancer, Eileen C. Best Johnson Wheelwright died on January 26, 2024 in her Marshfield home at 90 years old.

Eileen was born in Quincy to Frederick and Ruth Best. She was raised there with her siblings, Vincent Best, Frederick Best, Mary Elstob, and John Best (Sue Best), and stayed on the Massachusetts south shore to raise hell for the entirety of her 90 glorious years.

Always ready for a night out, if you asked Eileen if she wanted a drink, she was guaranteed to answer, "Does a bear sh*t in the woods?" She had her favorite local spots and our family will always cherish the Venetian, Poopsies, and Imperial Garden, where she and our Papa, her late husband Frank Wheelwright, spent many a night drinking everyone under the table until closing time. Her drink of choice was a madras and if you forgot the lime, god help you.

A beloved wife, mother, stepmother, and grandmother, she leaves behind four children, Donny Johnson (Amy Verhagen-Martin) of Cohasset, MA; Donna Eiseman (Rob Eiseman) of Naples, FL; Judy McAuliffe (Mark McAuliffe) of Plympton, MA; and David Paul Johnson (Barbra Johnson) of Marshfield, MA; and three stepchildren Frank Wheelwright (Karen Wheelwright); Denise Wheelwright; and the late Robert Wheelwright. Family was absolutely everything to Eileen, and she adored her role as Nana to her 14 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren who referred to her as "Big Nana" despite the fact that she was 5 feet tall and barely 100 pounds.

What she loved most was to be surrounded by her family. All of her grandchildren remember Sundays at the house on East Street in Hanover as some of the best and most magical memories of our childhood. On East Street, you were guaranteed to be greeted by a warm fire and a warmer hug, a room full of family and uproarious laughter, and the food - homemade sweets tucked into every corner, baked goods, crackers and cheeses, and always a crock of delicious soup simmering on the stove in a pot bigger than her, ready to feed the army of loved ones walking through the door.

Eileen loved to host and cook so much, she even coined her own holiday on the Sunday before Thanksgiving over 40 years ago called Pie Day. Dedicated to dessert, it was a holiday started because Eileen was frankly annoyed that everyone would be too full after a Thanksgiving dinner to eat the pies she'd worked so hard to bake. The holiday took off to the point where one of the grandchildren believed it to be a national holiday until she was in the fifth grade. We celebrated our last Pie Day with Eileen this past November where she was surrounded by family and friends.

In addition to baking her famous cinnamon rolls and pies, she also loved sewing, especially loving the days she spent sewing and sharing a drink or two with her niece, Sharyn Hurley. There's not a person in Eileen's orbit who doesn't have at least one of her homemade quilts sitting on their sofa. She was a person who loved to show love, who connected everyone with laughter, who made every party more fun, every event more memorable, every casual dinner into an occasion to be remembered and celebrated. Any time someone left her house, she would stand in the window to wave and blow kisses, making sure they knew how much she loved them until the very last possible minute when they'd pull out of sight. It's impossible to express how much that love has meant to all of us, how it's connected us as a family, and how deeply we will miss her.

Per Eileen's wishes, no formal memorial services will be held. Our family will be hosting a celebration of life this coming summer and will share details about the occasion as we get closer to June.