Mary Eichhorn (1948-2013), 1999 NJSGA Women's Amateur Champion
Mary (Rodgers) Eichhorn of the Spring Lake Golf Club, winner of three New Jersey State Golf Association Women’s Senior Championships and one NJSGA Women’s Amateur Championship, passed away on April 7, 2013 at age 64.
Mary, a resident of Sea Girt, was a longtime member of Spring Lake Golf Club, where she won 29 club championships, and served on numerous local and regional golf association boards and committees
Mary was a member of the first NJSGA Women’s Committee in 2008 and continued to serve on both the NJSGA Women’s Committee and Tournament Committee. She was also the immediate past-president (2010-11) of the Garden State Women’s Golf Association. She was also a past president of the Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association.
“What a lady and what a legend,” said Spring Lake head professional Bill King, who won a New Jersey PGA Pro-Lady championship with Mary in 1995. Eichhorn had previously won a Pro-Lady championship with Chuck Edwards of Beacon Hill in 1993.
“I can define Mary in a few words: Champion, competitor, compassionate and caring,” King continued. “People don’t realize she had a music side to her. She and her husband, Harry, had two different orchestras. Mary played the organ, several other instruments and she sang.
“Mary organized fund-raising concerts for families in need. In recent times, the fund-raisers were for families with children having life issues. I remember concerts on Memorial Day in Ocean Grove. She would ask all the veterans to stand up and be honored,” King continued.
“As a golfer, she was very competitive. She would never give up in her matches. She practiced very seriously and at one point was a scratch golfer. She loved to win, but she was also the first one to help other people improve,” King added. “For the last decade or so, Mary was very much into photography. She was a very proper and educated person.”
Eichhorn was the music director and organist of St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Spring Lake for over 25 years, and a member of The Atlantic Wind Ensemble directed by her husband, Harry, providing numerous concerts and benefits to people in need.
Mary was born in Neptune, N.J., and raised in Sea Girt. She graduated Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia as a physical education major.
She is survived by her husband of 28 years, Harry Eichhorn, her three step children, Kathy Eichhorn Herche of Belmar, NJ, Bonnie Eichhorn (Frank) Liantonio of Point Pleasant, NJ, Harry (Chip) (Kelly) Eichhorn of Shark River, NJ.
