Come to Camp Spoonhowopic and meet Eileen, wife of John Copic. If you have any trouble fitting in or feeling comfortable, just talk to Eileen. She is a veteran of gatherings like this, thanks to her large family (five sisters!). They love to “reunion” regularly in Florida, Pittsburgh or Cleveland. Her recommendation for getting the most out of this experience is to grab your coffee mug (or glass) and wander from group to group, grab a seat and share whatever they are enjoying. Sounds like great advice to me!

Eileen is a native of western Pennsylvania but has lived in Cleveland for more than 20 years. A political science and business major in college, she was very involved in the restaurant business but more recently has changed careers and now is enjoying her job at Progressive Insurance. She sounds exactly like the person you would like to speak with if you needed to collect on your insurance policy - friendly, helpful and anxious to meet your needs.

As Dan’s mom, interviewing her was a pleasure because she is very talkative (an Irish gift) and, believe it or not, had nothing but good things to say about Dan. She describes him as “the nicest boy” who is always helpful, especially in the kitchen, and he fits in very well with her “noisy horde of a family.”

It’s too bad that Cleveland is not closer to Allegany State Park because Eileen’s vegetable garden sounds worth a visit. By the end of April her beans and lettuce were already planted. Hopefully, she will bring some of her herbs and vegetables to camp. She loves gardening but is happy to share her produce with others who are willing to do the cooking.

Eileen is interesting and willing to talk and learn about almost anything from theology to yoga to men’s attraction to gadgets. Besides celebrating with Dan and Kathy, she’s another good reason to spend some time at Camp Spoonhowopic.