Eva Christina (Held) Richter

Eva Christina (Held) Richter, age 84, died Tuesday morning, January 26, 2016 with her oldest daughter, Cynthia and son-in-law, Stan by her bedside. Eva became ill during the 2015 holidays and was not able to get well.

Eva was born January 3, 1932 at home on her parents’ farm in Pierce County, North Dakota. Eva was raised during the Great Depression in a farming community of German-Catholics from Russia and did not learn to speak English until she started school at the local one-room school house. Eva’s own mother had died in childbirth when Eva was only two years old. Eva married Wendelin Richter at the age of 17 and was married for 60 years until her husband’s death in 2010. Eva farmed right alongside her husband, milking cows, mending fences, harvesting crops, and still tended to all the other “wifely” farm chores. Her home was a sod house without electricity or indoor plumbing. Eva and Wendelin moved to Washington State in 1954 and by then had two daughters, Cynthia and Deborah. Wanda, Eva’s third and last child, was born in Renton in 1957.

Eva was the archetype of the 1950’s housewife and happy to live in homes with electricity and indoor plumbing. She continued to bake the best homemade bread and rolls and other German dishes, but now used an electric range instead of a wood-burning cook stove. An electric washer and dryer were the epitome of luxury for Eva. She was chiefly a homemaker, but did work in the aerospace industry during the 1960s. After her children left home, she took part-time jobs in retail to keep busy. She also taught herself how to play the organ. She loved reading crime novels, watching Password and other game shows, and going to bingo. She was lucky and often won “big.” In the 1970s, Eva and Wendelin went on a tour of Europe. Other travels included Disneyland, Hawaii, Reno, and car trips to visit relatives in North Dakota. In 2010, Eva moved into a studio apartment at Merrill Gardens in Renton where she became close friends with two other widows. She enjoyed weekly visits from Cynthia and Cynthia’s children and grandchildren. Eva loved to tease Cynthia’s husband, Stan, about retirement. She especially loved it when her grandson, Rory (Dunn), took her out to Ivars for seafood or Toreros for Mexican food or when granddaughter Erika (Dunn) and her husband Alan (White) took her out for a night at a casino. Eva loved cuddling her youngest great-granddaughters, Olivia (Vance), Jaya, and Priya (Dunn) when they were able to visit. She referred to Olivia as her little “Sunshine.” Eva was never left alone for a single holiday, birthday, or other family event. When she required more one on one care, she moved to Choice Home Care in Renton where she was a favorite resident and nick-named “Evuca” by her caregiver, Rodi. Eva loved the liver and onions and cabbage rolls that Rodi would prepare just for her. Eva was loved and treated with dignity and respect at Choice Home Care. A special thank you is extended to Rodi and to Sorina Suciu, the owner and operator of Choice Home Care, and all who work there.

Eva is survived by her daughters, Cynthia Lefever (Stan), Deborah Guiliani (Jim), and Wanda Phillips (Ivan); her sister, Kathryn Shriver; her half-sisters, Betty Risinger, Dawn Hall, Dyanne Leinen, and Patty Lemer; and half-brother, Tim Held; as well as nine grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren and many, many nieces and nephews.

Eva was pre-deceased by her parents, Marcella (Kraft) and John Held; sisters, Marion Abrahamson and Delores Held; brothers, Leo and Gus Held; Stepmother, Helen (Kelsch) Held; half-sister, Marcella Rogalla; and half-brothers, Kenneth and Thomas Held.

• Closed casket visitation will be held on Monday, February 1, 2016 from 2PM to 5 PM at Greenwood Memorial Park and Funeral Home, 350 Monroe Avenue NE, Renton, Washington 98056.

• The Graveside Service will be held on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 starting at 2:30PM at Gethsemane Cemetery, 37600 Pacific Highway South, Federal Way, Washington 98003.

• In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the American Heart Association or your favorite charity.