Eileen Hertweck, wife of The Clarks guitarist, dies
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Eileen Hertweck, wife of The Clarks guitarist Rob Hertweck, died on Saturday of leukemia, at the age of 42. The Pittsburgh music community is in mourning.
Clarks bass player Greg Joseph posted a message on Facebook with a photo of the couple and their two daughters, ages 13 and 10.
The message read: “Sadly, today we lost a member of the big Clark family. Rob’s wife, Eileen Hertweck, passed early this morning after a hard-fought battle with leukemia. It is hard to believe. Eileen will be missed on so many levels. It’s been a tough day for all.”
Joseph said the band is appreciative of the outpouring of support.
“We are blessed to be in Pittsburgh,” Joseph said. “There is a loyalty among Pittsburghers for their sport teams and their musicians and their celebrities.”
Joseph said Eileen Hertweck’s love of her children was amazing. The girls had a role model in their mom.
“She was a wonderful mother,” he said. “She would do anything for them.”
A GoFundMe account was established by Heather Woodske and Jen Miller for a goal of $100,000 when Eileen Hertweck was in the hospital undergoing treatment. They’ve raised $144,000.
Dave Short, a friend of Rob Hertweck, said the family has been overwhelmed by the response to the GoFundMe.
“It’s the people and the sentiments that have really helped keep Rob and the girls going,” said Short of Indiana Township. “And Eileen knew about it and it gave her some confidence her family has an amazing community around them.”
Short met Rob Hertweck about 20 years ago when The Clarks performed a fundraiser for WYEP at Short’s barn, where he had hosted concerts. Hertweck played during the wedding of Short’s son.
Eileen Hertweck worked as a nurse for the Heritage Valley Health System. She was undergoing treatment last year during covid-19 and was told it would compromise her health to go to work, Short said.
“She was so mad she couldn’t go to work,” Short said. “That showed how truly unselfish she was. She was a real giver.”
The rock ‘n’ roll band is a staple in Western Pennsylvania. It has performed with the same four members for more than three decades. They’ve contributed not only through their music, but with their hearts as well.
Lead vocalist Scott Blasey performed on Saturday from his home via Facebook Live as part of a livestream series he started in 2020 because of the pandemic. It originally was to be a fundraiser for the Hertwecks.
“We all love them so much, so we’ll be raising money for their GoFundMe campaign,” Blasey wrote. “I can’t wait to reconnect with everyone again and share some music — and raise money for an amazingly worthy cause.”
Blasey said he cried throughout the day on Saturday and when he announced that she had died.
“I felt the presence of Eileen,” he said Monday. “I wanted to celebrate her life while also being respectful.”
Blasey said that children who were in a play Eileen Hertweck directed visited her house last week. They stood outside and sang. She watched from the bedroom window of her home in Beaver. On another day, more than 100 friends and family and community members formed a line around the house and prayed as she watched from her porch.
“You don’t see that kind of stuff every day,” Blasey said. “That is a real testament to how great of an impact she had on the community and so many people loved her.”
He said his wife, Denise, was a good friend and was with Eileen Hertweck when she died. The couples had done many things together over the past few years, and their children were friends, Blasey said.
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