Obituary of Eileen Marie Minarik

Sunset Hills Montessori School is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom service in memory of Eileen Minarik. 

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Eileen Marie Dowds Minarik was a Montessori early childhood educator, touching hundreds of lives over almost half a century.

Eileen was actively involved in the Montessori community since 1974 as a parent, assistant teacher (Primary), lead teacher (Primary, Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary), as a teacher trainer and consultant (Primary) and as a grandparent (since 2007).

As a parent, Eileen helped to establish the Montessori program at Green Hedges School in 1976. Encouraged by a teacher there, Eileen became a classroom assistant, and within weeks realized that she had found her calling. She completed her teacher training and became a lead teacher.

Eileen then founded Reston Montessori in 1984, which she operated out of her home for two years. In 1986 she took on a partner and they worked together for eight years. In 1994 Eileen sold Reston Montessori to her partner and founded Sunset Hills Montessori School (SHMS), with the following mission:

• To provide a safe, nurturing, academically stimulating environment where exploration and discovery are an everyday experience,
• To offer a staff that is dedicated to inspiring each student to realize his or her potential,
• To foster independence of thought, and a tolerance for the ideas, beliefs and cultures of other peoples,
• To assist in the development of a sense of responsibility and awareness of the individual and the community,
• To give children a joy of learning that will last a lifetime, and
• To work in partnership with parents to create a caring school community where the child comes first, education is celebrated, and each student gains the skills and knowledge that will lead to a productive, creative, satisfying life.

In 2003, after success in her original location, Eileen took the giant leap of purchasing the former United Christian Parish church on South Lakes Drive in Reston, vastly expanding the school’s capacity and the quality of its facilities for the children. The reach and depth of her commitment to quality, principled education was such that, beyond the success and happiness of hundreds of individual students, over recent years she welcomed children of former students to the school, and also added former students to the SHMS staff. And in both 2022 and 2023, Sunset Hills Montessori was voted the best Montessori school in the Washington-Maryland-Virginia region by Washington Parent magazine.

In 2014, Eileen retired as a lead teacher but maintained continual contact with the SHMS Teachers and Administration. During the Pandemic Eileen served as a resource teacher for the elementary teachers.

For most of the history of SHMS she greeted each child every morning. With the fading of the pandemic she happily returned in September 2023 as a greeter several days each week.

Eileen was a voracious reader who was surprised that she came to love her NOOK and Kindle e-readers as well as “real” books. She also loved to do arts and crafts, especially paper crafting, and took those interests to the children in her school.

Eileen was a major Harry Potter fan. She accumulated copies of the first book in 14 languages, and had hoped that with the return of travel she could add to her collection.

Eileen served the community through charitable work of the SHMS PTA and the SHMS students themselves, and by making the SHMS Assembly Hall in her building available to charities and other community organizations, including providing a long-term rehearsal (and occasional performance) space for the Reston Community Orchestra.

Eileen was a loving wife of almost 53 years to Joseph John Minarik; the loving mother to two daughters, Mara Minarik Perry (married to Jim) and Sara Minarik Applegate (married to Scott), and the doting grandmother of Olivia Marie Perry, Preston Scott Applegate, and Marley Page Applegate. While Olivia Marie Perry attended Montessori school near her home in St. Louis, Missouri, Preston Scott Applegate and Marley Page Applegate completed their full Montessori educations at Sunset Hills Montessori School.

A virtual memorial service to recognize the life and contributions of Eileen Marie Dowds Minarik will be held on Saturday, November 18, at 10:00 AM, with internet access to be made available shortly. A visitation will be held at Sunset Hills Montessori School, 11180 Ridge Hights Road, Reston, Virginia 20190, at 2:00 PM on November 18.