Eileen Watts

Eileen Watts, 87, passed away May 6, 2026, at Manor Court Nursing Home in Peru.  

There will be no public services.  A private burial will be held at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois.  Eileen will be laid to rest next to her husband John Watts.  Arrangements are being handled by Hurst Funeral Home in La Salle.

Eileen Dolores Theresa Alaniz was born in Chicago on August 11, 1938, the oldest of four children born to Rosendo A. “Roman” and Helen (nee Suchecki) Alaniz.  Siblings Geraldine, Melvin, and Roger followed.

Eileen married Howard T. Scheulin II in 1955.  From that marriage came Kim Elizabeth (Agostino Chella), Howard T. III, and Doreen Ann (Michael Modica - divorced).  Howard T. III died as a toddler of congenital heart disease in 1958.  Howard T. II also died in 1958 from smoke inhalation after rescuing his remaining family from a house fire.

Eileen then married Anthony Phillip Stefanich in 1959.  From that marriage came Dawn Marie (James E. Ramsden), Phillip Anthony (Tricia Salerno), and Denna Marie (Joel Leifheit).  This marriage ended in divorce in 1979.  Anthony Stefanich died of a brain tumor in 1982.

Eileen then married John Robert Watts Jr. in 1982, and they remained together until his death in 2016.  Eileen then developed a special friendship with Daniel Reichen, who had also lost his spouse, until his death in 2020.

Other than noted above, Eileen was also preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Melvin (Sue) Alaniz and Roger (Eileen) Alaniz, her daughter Doreen Scheulin, and a son-in-law Agostino Chella.

Eileen is survived by ten grandchildren:  Christopher and Lauren (Micheal Damish) Chella, Jessica (Donovan Sliman) and James A. Ramsden, Max (Ashtyn Dodson) and Chloe Modica, Jacob and Phillip Stefanich, and Brandon and Nathan Leifheit.

Eileen is also survived by seven great-grandchildren:  Grace, Neva, James, Luke, Eliana, Ronan, and Owen.

Eileen spent her entire life in Illinois.  She attended Reavis High School in Burbank and held a variety of retail and office jobs over her lifetime.  She lived in Oak Lawn, Naperville, Big Rock, Sublette, Mendota, and lastly in LaSalle-Peru near her youngest daughter Denna.  She enjoyed cooking, sewing, antiques, old houses, and her time as a Red Coat Volunteer at Illinois Valley Community Hospital. 

A special thanks to the staff at Manor Court of Peru who took great care of her as her time grew short.

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