Obituary of Eglantine "Lee" Cavanagh

Lee (Eglantine) Cavanagh, age 84, surrounded by her children, passed away on August 17, 2020, after a short illness. She was born on February 25, 1936 in Astoria, New York to Takouhi and Hagop Manoogian. Lee was married to James (Jim) Cavanagh in 1960 and spent 56 wonderful years of marriage with him. Jim preceded her in death in 2017. Lee loved her family, her friends and her neighbors in Melville, where she and Jim raised their family and have resided since 1966. Lee is loved by all who knew her, she had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh. She loved to cook, too, and was so good at it, blending traditional Armenian recipes with American to the delight of her family and guests. Gatherings at their house always included delicious food, spirits and good times -- you just had to be sure to stay out of her way in the kitchen! As a mother Lee's love knew no bounds and had remarkable patience for her three children, though that patience was often tested(!). She supported her children's education, athletics and interests, knew how to pick them up when they were down and made special the celebrations for their milestones and achievements in life. As a Grandmother she showed limitless love for her two grandsons and spoke of them with pride to anyone who listened. She never missed a special moment in their life and has supported their growth and education, their interests and their athletics -- even when she couldn't see the ball or puck! Lee is survived by her three children and their spouses Lisa Cavanagh and Tamar Benjamin, Jimmy and Dana Cavanagh and Susan and Shawn Quinn; her grandsons Riley and Trevor Cavanagh; her sister Anahid Manoogian, her brother and wife Harold and Lu Manoogian; her sister-in-law Pat Ivan; her brother-in-law Charles Cavanagh; and her many nieces and nephews, including Lee (Ivan) Berra, Lewis and Karen Ivan; Laura and Chris McGrath; and her many great nieces and nephews, all of which she loved very much. Services will be held in the afternoon-evening between 4pm and 8pm on Friday, August 21, 2020 at M.A. Connell Funeral Home*, 934 New York Avenue, Huntington Station, NY 11746. Funeral services will be held at 10am on Saturday, August 22, 2020 at Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs, 20915 Horace Harding Expressway, Bayside, NY 11364. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Long Island Cares. *Please note that the funeral home will only allow 60 guests at a time for visitation for social distancing purposes. This may lead to waits and shortened visitation times.