Woman Killed by Falling Trees ID'd; Remembered by Church

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Greenwich Time- A Greenwich woman who was killed Saturday after being struck by falling trees was remembered Monday as a "wonderful person" who was active in her church and loved music.

Police identified the woman Monday as 61-year-old June Einhorn, of 19 Boulder Brook Road.

Einhorn was killed Saturday evening during the height of a fierce storm that ripped through Greenwich and caused major destruction in the backcountry, where Einhorn lived.

Police said Einhorn was out walking with her husband, Eric Einhorn, in their northeast Greenwich neighborhood when several trees struck her, causing a severe head injury.

It is believed the Einhorns were walking to a neighbor's house for dinner at the time of the incident. Officials believe she was killed instantly.

On Monday, news of Einhorn's passing shook the members of Christ Church Greenwich, where she had been an involved member for several years.

"She was always very active in a lot of our programs and our music department," said Susan Marks, communications director for the church.

"She was an amazing lady. Very talented. She could do everything, and this is such a loss, not just to Christ Church but to the whole community."

Marks, who described Einhorn as a good friend, said Einhorn was South African and had two children who both recently graduated from college. Her children were in the church choir, Marks said.

"They actually had just moved back to Greenwich," said Marks, noting that the Einhorns had moved out of town for a period. "She was just a wonderful person."

As of Monday afternoon, Marks believed there would be a memorial service at the church, but plans had not been discussed, she said. Einhorn's family could not be reached for comment at their home Monday.

According to online records, the Einhorns were one of numerous donors to a program called the Sekolo Project Inc., which works to help prevent HIV infection in Namibia. Marks said she was familiar with the project and the couple's involvement.

On Sunday, one of the Einhorns' neighbors described how the ordeal unfolded. Neighbor Gary Silberberg said he was outside checking on damage when he was approached by the woman's husband, asking him to help search for his wife.

After grabbing a flashlight from his home, Silberberg returned to find the woman had been lying on the road close to a tree.

"She was lying face down and we turned her over and I couldn't get a pulse and she had a gray pallor on her face," Silberberg said Sunday.

With the assistance of a neighbor, they used a tarpaulin to carry her to a nearby home where a doctor lived. However, Silberberg said there was nothing the doctor could do.

It took medics and police nearly two hours to get to the scene and even longer to get the woman to a hospital due to the damage in the area from falling trees and power lines. Police said the Einhorns arrived at Greenwich Hospital at approximately 11 p.m. Saturday. June Einhorn was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Ingrid McMenamin, president of the Northwest Greenwich Association, said the tragedy demonstrates how residents need to be wary of falling trees and stay indoors if they can.

"Our heart reaches out to the family," said McMenamin. "It is just tragic. It reinforces the need to stay in shelter when the weather is like this."