Colleen Marie (Mulcahy) Eldred, age 54, passed into eternal life on May 26, 2026, surrounded by her husband, children, family and friends, after a long and courageous health battle. We deeply mourn her passing and give tribute to her beautiful life. We honor her for her faith and the brave spirit with which she faced so many health hurdles. She called herself a "one-percenter", seemingly always being the exception to the rule. If she truly was a "one-percenter" it's because she was a top-notch wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and human being.

Colleen was raised in Vestal, New York, the 4th of 6 children, by her beloved parents, Roy and Marlene Mulcahy. Always a Red Sox fan, she was also typical middle child – independent, social, and an excellent negotiator. She graduated from Seton Catholic Central High School and earned a bachelor's degree from SUNY Brockport, where she made lifelong friends. She was recruited as a Regional Manager for ALDI and Mirabito Energy Products where she was an accomplished and savvy businesswoman.

She met the love of her life, Jamie Eldred over a competitive game of pool. They enjoyed fishing trips to Canada, camping, and winery tours. She overlooked the fact that he was a Yankees fan and they married in 2000. They moved briefly to Malone and Ontario, NY, and eventually settled in Apalachin where they raised three beautiful children, close to both of their families.

Colleen loved her family unconditionally, prayed unceasingly for them, and lived her life with joy. She had a deep devotion to St. Padre Pio and she worked hard to embrace his spiritual directive "Pray, hope, and don't worry", emphasizing the power of faith and the uselessness of anxiety. She also had a great love for Eucharistic Adoration, volunteering at St. Augustine Church in Friendsville for a very long time. She was a lifelong member of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Vestal and a member of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians. She was very proud of her Irish heritage and her Irish name. She was dubbed "Maid of Erin" by the Hibernians and the master of the "Irish Goodbye" by everyone else!

Colleen was intelligent, friendly, quick-witted, and never afraid to speak her mind. She fiercely defended her beliefs, most notably advocating for the human rights of the unborn and participated in many Right-to-Life Marches in Washington, D.C. Colleen and her beloved therapy dog, Charlotte, also volunteered their time at libraries, schools, and nursing homes.

She was an avid camper, loved a good game of dominoes, lobster and clams, and spent many happy summers at our family's camp in Brackney, PA where she built a cozy cabin, enjoyed campfires, and relished watching the hummingbirds that buzzed by her cabin often. She was also a talented cross-stitcher. She earned 2 ribbons at the New York State Fair. However, her greatest masterpiece was her children and her most honored title was Mom. She cheered at countless basketball, football, baseball, and soccer games, usually pacing the perimeter of the field with Charlotte at the end of the leash. She taught them about God and that faith and family comes before everything else.

Colleen was predeceased by her parents, Roy and Marlene (Buffum) Mulcahy; infant sister, Renee Mulcahy; brother-in-law, Bruce Singleton; and "sister-in-law" Brooke Keil; fathers-in-law, Harry Hartz and Lynn Eldred; grandparents, Leland and Amelia (Kochmer) Buffum and William and Henrietta (Scott) Mulcahy.

Colleen is survived by her husband of 25 years, Jamie L. Eldred; her children Leah, Caden, and Breanne; her future son-in-law Nathan Prisella; siblings Roy P. Mulcahy, Eileen Mulcahy-LaChance (Timothy), Daniel Mulcahy (Jessica Morris), Maureen Warren (Jeffrey), Christine Strawsky (Michael); mother-in-law, Lynn Hartz; brothers-in-law, Roger Singleton (Tiffany), and Jason Eldred (April Youngs); sister-in-law Dawn Darling (Todd) and many wonderful aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, and her dear Godchildren.

The family is eternally grateful to Dr. Alvin George at UPenn Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs, Dr. Maddie George and Dr. Eliot Friedman at Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest, and the many talented doctors, nurses, therapists, and medical staff who cared for her, comforted her, and worked to give her the time she so desperately wanted.

In lieu of flowers, expresssions of sympathy in Colleen's memory may be made to Mercy House of the Southern Tier, 212 N. McKinley Ave, Endicott, NY 13760.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, June 4th from 4-7pm at J. A. McCormack Sons Funeral Home 141 Main St., Binghamton, NY. A Funeral Mass will be offered on Friday, June 5th at 10am at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 801 Main Street, Vestal, NY. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Johnson City.