Eileen Elsie Eskola

Eileen was born May 14, 1919 in Portland Oregon at 729 Liberty Street, a 2-3 story house that was built by her father, William Henry Gluth, and burned to the ground when she was 9 years old. In horror, she watched her mother, Alvina Rose Gluth, run down into the basement to try to save the food she had canned and stored down there. Her Mother made it out just before the house completely collapsed into the basement. Eileen lost her treasured doll.

She grew up in Portland and often visited relatives ( Theilsiefje, Theil, Gluth, Goerke ) on both her mother and father’s sides of the family in Ridgefield, WA. She was especially close to her brothers, and when they used to run and play she would follow, even across Columbia River on the railroad trestle bridge. She said she was afraid, but did not want to be left behind, so as she was throughout the rest of her life, she pulled her courage together, didn’t look down, and did it. She couldn’t swim.

At Gresham High School, Eileen was on the Debate Team. She had recently moved, but the debate coach did not want her to transfer to another high school. So she stayed, went to the Oregon “All State Debate Tournament”, and received awards for her performance. She is wearing these in the 1937 high school yearbook photo of the Argus-Munhinotu staff. She was also a reporter for the bi-weekly school newspaper.

While still in high school and for a while afterward, she worked at a Portland furniture store as a book keeper. After graduating from high school, she attended business classes.

Eileen and Eric Hanford Eskola married November 6, 193 , the beginning of 75 years of a beautiful, harmonious marriage, where they did everything together when Eric was not out of town for his job, worked hard and also laughed together every day, went to church on Sundays, and always gave each other a good night kiss, even when Eric was 99 years old.

After marriage, Eileen worked as waitress in Eric’s two downtown Portland restaurants until their first daughter, Carol, was born. During this time, Eric earned his commercial pilot’s license; however, at Eileen’s request, he changed his plans and stopped flying. To be home with his family, he also stopped his summer work in the Alaskan salmon canneries.

Eric sold the restaurants and entered the U.S. Postal Service as a mail clerk. At the encouragement of his peers, he took the national entrance examination to become a U.S. Postal Inspector, scored at the very top of all participants, and shortly thereafter received promotion to Postal Inspector.

They lived in Portland for around 11 years, having two daughters, Carol and Christine. During this segment of her life, Eileen crocheted lace, from doilies and linen trimmings to a large tablecloth, and also sewed all of Carol’s elaborate costumes for baton twirling and ballet. She learned the art of making porcelain ceramic dolls… in particular, “ladies” in elegant porcelain lace dancing gowns which she herself created and applied, along with hand painting their faces and sculpting their delicate fingers.

As a new U.S. Postal Inspector, Eric was transferred to Pendleton, Oregon. Eileen became a lifelong member of the Pendleton Order of the Eastern Star and continued to create her delicate hand painted porcelain ceramics.

After a little over a year, Eric was transferred to Eugene, Oregon for the next 13 years, where Carol went to high school and college, and 5 y.o. Christine grew up.

Eileen’s time for hobbies disappeared as she became busy driving her daughters, at this stage mostly Christine, every day to any number of classes, practices, and events, as well as picking them up from school when they had to stay late-which was often, driving them to friends’ houses to play…or picking up friends and bringing them home to our house. She was really busy just driving…. And many times sitting and waiting in the car in order to take them home when the event was over. She never complained, but instead was happy her daughters were active and involved.

And every Sunday they all went to church as a family, dropping off Christine a little early so she could be in the choir. Eileen also drove her to choir practice twice a week and church school another night or two a week.

But volunteering as a Gray Lady at the large territorial Sacred Heart Hospital was extremely important to Eileen and something for which she regularly took the time. In a special awards ceremony, she was recognized with an honorary pin for her exemplary service.

Also in Eugene, there was golf. Even though Eileen did not want to take the time, she once again took up golf for the sole purpose of being with family and friends. Years before, when they were building their first house next to a public golf course in Portland, Eric had taught Eileen to play golf.

Throughout the years to this point, Eileen and Eric had built, lived in, and sold 9 houses, a couple of them duplexes. Eileen would draw up the plans, elevations and all, and would facilitate the work of the contractors they hired. She did most of the painting and made all of the drapes for every window; and, Eric would work late into the evenings, sawing and hammering after he came home from his real job during the day. They both had lived through the two depressions of the early 1900’s, so they accepted and appreciated frugality and hard work.

While Carol was attending University of Oregon, Eileen was an active participant in the U. of Oregon Mother’s Club. She became Social Chairman, in charge of organizing and hosting all events throughout the year, was elected to Vice President, and ultimately President. But just before her term as President was to begin in 1967, Eric was transferred to Seattle and they all moved, settling in the Magnolia area of Seattle, where much of the year they could hear the horns of the tug boats and inhale the misty early morning fog, reminding Eileen of her childhood along the Columbia River.

However, after 5 quiet years, Eileen and Eric needed to look after Eileen’s mother and her younger brother Albert, a disabled WWII veteran. They found a duplex as quickly as they could, moved them down from Port Angeles into one side of the duplex, while they, themselves, moved into the other side, right next door. Of course, it could never have occurred without Eric’s blessing. He actively helped to make it happen.

Eileen did most of their cooking, laundry, and cleaning, and also made sure Alvina and Albert stayed warm, dry, and healthy. Eileen was always busy doing something, often for them; and, Eric went along with it. This is much the same as what Christine and Stephen did when they moved Eileen and Eric down to California, almost next door, and looked after them.

During these years, Eileen crocheted large patchwork quilts for each of her dear ones…two daughters and 4 grandchildren. Each quilt was different, suiting the preferences and character of the lucky one she was making it for. Carefully she would create the design and then meticulously sew all the pieces together, each quilt a work of love from her heart…

Eileen and Eric also helped with and looked after their grandson, Byron, when his parents were at work. They got him to school in the morning, always on time, and later in the day they always arrived early, sitting and waiting until Byron came out. They both loved Byron with all their hearts…. Their world circled around Byron. When Byron was sick with whooping cough at 9 months of age, Eileen and then Eric would take turns holding him, carrying him upright in their arms all night long and also during the day, so he would not cough.

On Saturdays, Eileen and Eric would routinely make day trips to the Ridgefield area to work in the wilderness of the original Theil / Theilsiefje family, clearing brush, planting stands of evergreen trees - sequoia, redwood, cedar, and fir, and putting in a long winding road up and down the hills, creating the semblance of a park. They often took grandson Byron. It was here that Granddad Eric taught Byron to ride a bike and gave him his first Swiss Army knife and compass. While there, they would sometimes visit the Bethel Cemetery, where so many of the family had come to rest. On Sunday they would be back home and go to church, taking Byron with them.

(We have been told for years that the land for the Bethel Cemetery was donated by Great Grandfather. I have also heard that he built the first church. Great Grandfather and his sons had land, Theilsiefje, and loved the Lord. Interestingly, I now find that so did Great Grandfather Stephen Gluth. I am trying to remember more about this. )

In 2007, their daughter Christine with the overwhelming help and support of her husband Stephen, along with Byron, moved Eileen 89 and Eric 93 from Seattle to Orange, California in order for them to live nearby, yet still be independent in their own home. This was only through the good will and blessings of Christine’s husband, Stephen, who enabled the entire process to even occur.

Eileen and Eric both remained alert, active, and devoted to each other. Eileen worked outside everyday in her garden and Eric managed the household.

Eric passed away in (November) 2013, on the evening of their 75th wedding anniversary, both happily aware of the day and feeling blessed to be with each other. He was 99.

Eileen survived the challenges after losing her soul mate and lived another 14 months, showing her physical and mental strength and her determination to survive. She passed quickly with an unexpected bout of pneumonia, 95 years 8 months.