Obituary of Eileen Lillian Saper

Eileen Lillian (Rice) Saper, age 91, of Cheshire passed away peacefully on Thursday, November 30, 2017 at her home.  She was the wife of the late Louis Max Saper.  Eileen was born on May 19, 1926 in Boston, MA, daughter of the late Samuel and Miriam (Kornfeld) Rice.

Eileen was raised in Brooklyn, NY where her love of music started with frequent visits to the Metropolitan Opera.  She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Brooklyn College.  She moved to Cheshire, where she raised her family and worked for Yale University, until her retirement in 1991, as a computer programmer and systems analyst for the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health where she helped to maintain the Connecticut Tumor Registry.   In Cheshire, Eileen was a founding member of Temple Beth David and an active member of Kol Ami.  She traveled around the globe to places such as Yugoslavia, Egypt, India, China, and Taiwan and she regularly invited groups of friends to her home where together they would cook gourmet meals from varied cultures.  She always kept up with the latest styles.  Eileen will be remembered for her strong and vibrant personality and her thoughtful kindnesses to her many friends.

She is the beloved mother of Mark Saper and his wife Cindy of Ann Arbor, MI; Leslie Saper and his wife Cheryl of Durham, NC; and Rob Saper and his wife Ruth Paris of Newton, MA.  She is the loving grandmother of Eli (Abigail) Sapir, Daniel Saper, and Noam Saper; Nathan Saper; and Shoshana, Maya, and Dalia Paris-Saper.  Eileen leaves her one cherished great-granddaughter, Emunah Sapir; her sister, Shirley (Rice) Hames of Westbury, NY and nephews, Cliff (Katherine) Hames and Richard (Kathy) Hames.  Eileen’s family are grateful beyond all measure to her caregivers, Anastasia Mkhise and Alfreda Smith, who gave love, devotion, and enrichment to Eileen’s later life.

Mrs. Saper’s Funeral Service will be held on Monday, December 4, 2017 at 10 am at the Alderson-Ford Funeral Home of Cheshire, 615 So. Main Street, 06410.  Burial will follow in the Temple Beth David section of Cheshire Hillside Cemetery.  Memorial contributions may be made to the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale , the Yale School of Music , or the Metropolitan Opera .   To leave condolences for her family, please visit www.fordfh.com