Eileen Scharff Kukoda

April 18, 2025 will go down in history as the day the world lost one of its great “Moms”.

Eileen Scharff Kukoda, age 70 of West Chester, PA passed away on April 18,2025 with her husband Thomas H. Kukoda, children Timothy (Brittany), Bryan (Ceilidh), Alicia Kukoda and other family and friends to be reunited with her mother Grace Scharff (Donovan), father Aelred Scharff, brother Matthew, and grandmother Grace Fleming.

Eileen fought a great battle against ovarian cancer and other illnesses, while having the strength, courage, and hope her health would return. Through all her adversities she always had a smile on her face.

Eileen’s story began in Philadelphia on November 20, 1954 and after a series of moves settled in King of Prussia with her family. She graduated from Upper Merion High School in 1972 and received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from Temple University in 1976. Eileen held several different accounting positions, including one at Certainteed Products Corp. where she met her future husband through a mutual friend. She was also a co-founder of Leisure Graphics, Inc. an imprinted sportswear business in West Chester, PA.

In 2008 she started a second career as a teacher’s aide in the West Chester School District, where she could pursue her passion working with young children who had emotional support needs. She retired in 2020.

Eileen was a wonderful person who touched the hearts of everyone she met. She had life-long friendships which she maintained and were very important to her. Eileen loved holiday celebrations and family gatherings with aunts, uncles and cousins, whether it be for graduations, communions or birthday parties. Many of these celebrations took place in Ocean City, NJ. which was truly a happy place for her. She spent many summers lying on the beach reading books and magazines.

Eileen was an incredible mom who was involved in all her children’s activities. She volunteered at Fern Hill Elementary, served as secretary for the West Chester East baseball team, and actively supported her sons in the Boy Scouts of America. You could always find her on Saturday afternoons in the bleachers cheering for her kids on the ball field.

In her spare time she loved to read, crochet, watch her birds, and cooking family recipes with her children, especially her mother’s recipe for chicken soup.

Eileen is survived by her husband of 44 years, Thomas H. Kukoda, her children Timothy (Brittany), Bryan (Ceilidh), and Alicia Kukoda, a grandson Crew Kukoda, sister Linda Degatano (Mark), and niece and nephews Michael and Andrew Degatano, and Chase, Connor, and Shelby Speaker.

Friends and relatives are invited to Eileen’s visitation on Friday April 25, 2025 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM at The Donohue Funeral Home, 1627 West Chester Pike, West Chester, PA followed by her funeral service at 11:00 AM. Interment is private.

In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to:

the Alzheimer’s Association http://www.alz.org

Or

The St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital http://www.stjude.org

Or

Sjogrens Foundation http://sjogrens.org.