Eileen D. Curran, a Dartmouth resident who was dedicated to others, died on Nov. 20.  She was 89 years old.

Eileen and her husband, Hon. Patrick Curran, retired to Dartmouth from Las Cruces, NM.  As an attorney at Southern New Mexico Legal Services, Eileen represented those who needed legal assistance but could not afford it. She also served her teammates as the president of the United Auto Workers union local that represented Legal Services employees.  After retiring from the law, she worked with young children at the My Favorite Place day care centers that she co-founded with her husband and daughter.

Eileen Gallagher was born June 18, 1931 in New York. She attended Cathedral High School and Fordham University before becoming one of the first women to receive a degree from Harvard University with her master’s in counseling. After raising her four children, Eileen returned to St. John’s University and received a professional diploma in psychology.  She was in her 50s when she entered the City University of New York Queens College School of Law, earned a juris doctor degree, and was admitted to the bar in New York and New Mexico.

She is survived by her husband of 60 years, a retired Dona Ana County magistrate judge, and four children: Kevin, Catharine, Thomas, and Terence.  Survivors also include 23 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.  

The family extends its appreciation to the staff at the Hannah B.G. Shaw Home in Middleborough for the loving care she received. 

A Mass of the Resurrection was offered at St. Julie Billiart Church in Dartmouth. She will be interred at Calvary Cemetery in New York City. 

Arrangements were handled by Waring-Sullivan Homes of Dartmouth.

Donations to a local food bank in her memory are encouraged.