Eloise Carol Lucas

Surrounded by her loving family, Eloise passed away peacefully into the arms of her Lord on May 27, 2026 in Yakima, WA. Her life was a testament to unconditional love, immeasurable kindness, and immense generosity.

Eloise was born in Hinsdale, IL on February 5, 1930. She was raised in Villa Park, IL, where after graduating high school, headed west to Denver, CO where she met the love of her life, Don, who passed away in 2019. After they married in 1949, they moved to Cheyenne, WY to start their new life together and raise their two daughters, Diane and Eileen. While in Cheyenne, Eloise worked as a secretary at Warren Air Force Base for several years before going to work at Hebard School. In addition to being a working mom, Eloise devoted her time to her daughters’ interests as a Girl Scout leader and acted as a chaperone at Job’s Daughters’ events and activities. Don worked for the Union Pacific Railroad, which took him and Eloise away from Cheyenne and onto Riverside, CA for a few years, and then to Omaha, NE for almost twenty years.

After working at various jobs in Omaha, Eloise decided to fulfill a life-long dream of becoming a nurse and went back to school at the age of 47, attending the College of Saint Mary, receiving her Associate in Science for Nursing in May 1980. She practiced nursing in Omaha for more than ten years before moving to Yakima, WA to be closer to family.

Eloise loved traveling with Don making every trip an adventure. They explored just about every state in the US, Canada, Mexico, and several countries overseas.

An avid reader, she always seemed to be enjoying an early morning or late night read. She especially loved a good mystery and truly enjoyed reading poetry. Her mornings would usually begin with reading scriptures to start her day with inspiration.

Eloise always seemed to be volunteering with various organizations, donating blood multiple times, or simply helping friends. She had a very cheerful spirit and a great zest for life, always living it to the fullest. She loved staying active, immersing herself in joyful activities from square dancing on the Frontier Days Parade floats in Cheyenne, appearing in community theater productions in Omaha, to taking up pottery and painting in Yakima. She never met a stranger who did not become a friend. Eloise put others before herself, and also appreciated everything that was done for her. Eloise loved going to the casinos, golfing, and playing cards with her many, many friends, and never seemed to tire of a 24-hour social life! She was particularly fond of playing poker and duplicate bridge, taking bridge quite seriously and playing at a high level.

Eloise was a truly compassionate and generous person with great humility. While vacationing in Las Vegas (one of her favorite places), she literally gave the coat off her back to a less fortunate person. In addition, she paid for a one week’s hotel stay for her, not giving that random act of kindness a second thought!

Eloise is survived by her loving family and will be greatly missed by her two daughters and a son-in-law, four grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, one great-great grandson, and two sisters-in-law.

A service to remember and celebrate Eloise’s life will be held on June 27 at 11:00 a.m. at Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church in Yakima. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in Eloises’s name to Salvation Army or Yakima Union Gospel Mission, continuing her legacy of kindness and compassion. She would also wish for you to enjoy your friendships, have fun with family, live life to its fullest, and be kind and generous at every opportunity. To share memories and condolences or to get the link to live stream her service visit www.keithandkeith.com.