James "Ike" Franklin Eichelberger

James Franklin Eichelberger,  age 81, passed peacefully at his home in West Friendship,  Maryland  on March 19th, 2021.
 

Jim was born on February 4th, 1940, in Washington, D. C. to Linwood Dean Eichelberger and Agnes Sarah (McKnight) Eichelberger. He was a sweet surprise who rounded out the family with 2 girls and 2 boys. He grew up in Southeast Washington, graduating from Anacostia High School in 1958.
From high school he joined the US Air Force and was stationed in Vermont where he met and married Carol Ann Sears in Burlington on June 4th, 1960. Together they settled in Maryland with their 4 children. They divorced in 1993.
 

After doing a good bit of travelling,   Jim met Rita G. Kouneski through mutual friends in 2014. She remained his "Funny Little Honey" until his passing.
Jim loved his family, genealogy, military history, mint chocolate chip ice cream, eating barbecue as well as Italian food and watching his beloved Baltimore Ravens play football.
 

He is survived by his companion, Rita Kouneski of Severna Park,  Maryland; his 4 children, son James Dean Eichelberger (Annette) of Hagerstown,  MD, son Kyle Eichelberger (Lisa) of Baltimore, MD, son Darren Eichelberger (Alyssa) of New Market, MD and daughter Stacy Bussing (Bill) of West Friendship MD; his brother, Alfred Eichelberger (Anita) of Dunkirk, MD,  5 grandchildren: David Basiliere Bussing and Joseph Drogoul Bussing of West Friendship MD and Deanna Catherine Eichelberger, Kathleen Ann Eichelberger and Erin Elizabeth Eichelberger of New Market, MD, as well as a multitude of nieces and nephews, cousins and friends. In addition, his contemporaries from his 35 years of work at the Department of the Navy.
 

A celebration of Jim's life will be held on Saturday,  May 1st, 12 noon, at Donaldson Funeral Home of Clarksville, P.A. Please feel free to bring any pictures or memories of Jim that you would like to share. Food will be served after the service at the funeral home so please stick around and chat with Jim's family. Internment will be at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA at a future date to be announced.
 

In lieu of flowers, make a donation to a charity that is special to you. Jim was very philanthropic and some of the charities that were near and dear to him were the ASPCA, the World Wildlife Fund, the Disabled American Veterans and the Wounded Warrior Project. He was also very concerned with the plight of the Native American people and gave generously to charities benefiting them.
 

Please RSVP to bbussing@iaff.org  or 301-503-8335 so the family can get a head count for Mission BBQ.
In addition hug your loved ones and tell them you love them. Life is short.
 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of James "Ike" Franklin Eichelberger, please visit our floral store.