A Remarkable Career and an Exceptional Life
By Chloe Allison
Eileen Patricia Lett
January 31, 1951-July 6, 2017
Eileen Patricia Traynor was born in Spring Valley, Wisconsin on January 31, 1951.[1] Her parents, George and Grace Traynor, were married on June 18, 1946.[2] The couple welcomed their first child, Ramona, on November 20, 1947 in Goodhue, Minnesota.[3] Eileen was the couple’s second child, born in 1951, and she was followed by Jane who was born in 1954.[4] Susan and Beth soon followed and were born in 1956 and 1957, respectively.[5] Eileen has a fifth sister, Mary, for whom a birth record could not be located. The family settled down in Elmwood, Wisconsin and the girls all attended high school.[6] Eileen elected to attend Viterbo College in La Crosse, Wisconsin.[7] Eileen was a French major while in college and after graduation, she enlisted in the United States Army.[8]
Eileen Traynor enlisted in the Army at the age of twenty-two as an officer with the starting rank of Second Lieutenant in 1973.[9] Women were serving in Vietnam as officers, but it was rare. All the women were volunteers, and most were young, recent college graduates. Women who were selected to go to Vietnam were stationed in war zones for about a year. The jobs the women worked ranged from secretaries to supply officers and personnel managers. Second Lieutenant Traynor was one of the women selected to serve her country in Vietnam during the conflict. It was when she was stationed in Vietnam that she met her husband, Ronald Lett. The couple married on December 12, 1975 in Pierce County, Wisconsin.[10] Eileen Traynor became Eileen Lett and she continued to her military career with her husband by her side. Ronald had a significant military career and he retired after they had been married for nearly twelve years in 1987.[11] Eileen’s husband retired as a Sergeant Major while she continued her career as an Army officer.
Eileen was rising through the ranks of the Army and ended her career in 1992 as a Lieutenant Colonel.[12] This rank of Lieutenant Colonel is one of the highest ranks that a commissioned officer in the United States Army can achieve.[13] It is important to note that Eileen Lett managed to achieve one of the highest ranks for commissioned officers as a woman who served for less than twenty years. She was clearly an exceptional officer and a woman dedicated to serving her country. Eileen Lett retired from the United States Army in 1992 and moved with her husband Ronald to Colorado Springs, Colorado.[14]
Although Eileen and Ronald ended their military careers, their time spent serving others was far from over. The couple spent time on their hobbies when they were not spending time with friends, family, or member of the community. Eileen was particularly active in her neighborhood and at her church and gym.[15] Eileen loved giving back and staying active. Her husband Ronald passed away on January 10, 2010 after a long battle with illness.[16] He was laid to rest at Fort Logan National Cemetery with full military honors. Although her partner for nearly thirty-five years was gone, Eileen never stopped doing what she loved.
Eileen Lett continued dancing, running, and volunteering in her community in Colorado Springs.[17] The retired Colonel participated in the 2014 Road Runners Club of America race in Colorado Springs when she was sixty-three years old.[18] Eileen continued to volunteer and spend time with her nieces and nephews and traveled around the country.[19] Eileen lived a happy and faith-driven life and passed away on July 6, 2017.[20] She dedicated her life to helping others and developing deep friendships with those that she met. Eileen, like her husband before her, requested that mourners make donations instead of giving flowers at her memorial service.[21] Eileen asked friends and family to make donations to the Sepsis Alliance or to St. Anthony the Archangel Community Center Chapel.[22] Eileen was laid to rest beside her husband Ronald at Fort Logan National Cemetery. Lieutenant Colonel Eileen Lett was a woman dedicated to serving others before herself and she will always be remembered as a woman that always gave whatever she could.
Footnotes ↓
[1] “LTC Eileen P. Lett Obituary,” The Gazette (Colorado Springs), (accessed February 3, 2020) July 16, 2017
[2] “U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-current,” ancestry.com, (accessed June 2, 2019) entry for Grace E. Traynor.
[3] “Minnesota, Birth Index, 1935-2000,” ancestry.com, (accessed June 2, 2019) entry for Ramona Jeanne Traynor, Goodhue, Minnesota, USA, 1947.
[4] “U.S. Public Records Index 1950-1993, Volume 1,” ancestry.com, (accessed June 2, 2019) entry for Jane A. Seifert.
[5] “U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1,” ancestry.com, (accessed June 2, 3019) entry for Susan K. Drewiske; “U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1,” ancestry.com, (accessed June 2, 2019) entry for Beth E. Steiger.
[6] “U.S. School Yearbooks 1900-1990,” ancestry.com, (accessed May 19, 2019) entry for Eileen Traynor, Viterbo College, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1970, pg. 65.
[7] “U.S., School Yearbooks 1900-1990,” ancestry.com, (accessed on May 17, 2019) entry for Eileen Traynor, Viterbo College, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1971, pg. 93.
[8] “LTC Eileen P. Lett Obituary,” The Gazette (Colorado Springs), July 16, 2017.
[9] Ibid.
[10] “Wisconsin, Marriage Index, 1973-1997,” ancestry.com, (accessed on May 18, 2019) entry for Ronald H Lett, Pierce County, Wisconsin, 1975, certificate no. 034886.
[11] “U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010,” database, ancestry.com, (accessed on May 18, 2019) entry for Ronald Lett.
[12] “LTC Eileen P. Lett Obituary”.
[13] “Officer Rank Insignia,” departmentofdefense.com, (accessed on June 10, 2019).
[14] “LTC Eileen P. Lett Obituary.”
[15] Ibid.
[16] “Sgt. Major Ronald H. Lett Obituary,” The Gazette (Colorado Springs), (accessed February 3, 2020) January 12, 2010.
[17] “LTC Eileen P. Lett Obituary,” The Gazette (Colorado Springs), July 16, 2017
[18] “2014 Summer Round-Up Trail Run In-Progress Results,” rrca.org, July 6, 2014.
[19] “Eileen Lett,” facebook.com, (accessed on June 1, 2019).
[20] “LTC Eileen P. Lett Obituary,” The Gazette (Colorado Springs), July 16, 2017
[21] Ibid.
[22] Ibid.
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