Eva was born on March 10, 1939 in Wichita, Kansas. Her family moved to the San Diego area when she was a young girl. She grew up with her 5 siblings, Patty, Francis (Mickie), Ed, David and Carlena (Chickie). Her family are devout Christians and they attended the Salvation Army Corps. She quickly learned to sing and play an instrument in the band. Her love for music would be a mainstay throughout her life. After she started her own family, there were frequent gatherings of extended family where singing was not just a possibility, but a requirement. They even learned to sing the blessing before meals, often sung to some stolen tune;
Be present at our table Lord
Be here and everywhere adored
These mercies bless and grant that we
May feast in paradise with thee
Music was not the only bright spot in her life. She had a wicked sense of humor and laughter was everywhere. Even when things were tough, and they often were, she found humor in the smallest things.
But her greatest joy was her children. She loved them fiercely and would tell anyone who would listen how proud she was of all of them. She taught them to love music as well. Road trips meant singing. And everyone joined in. Laughter and music were her gift to them.
Eventually she learned to cook. Not just the home-style cooking of most housewives of her day, but she became a full-fledged Chef. Her food was fabulous and the Thanksgiving dinners were legend. Her baking was renowned. Her carrot cake famous. But she always said that no one could ever bake an apple pie like her mother, Mildred. She finally put all the recipes together in a self-published book and gave them as gifts to lucky family and friends. She called it Experimentations In Cooking and urged everyone to adjust and expand her recipes and make them their own. It tickled her when someone told her about a change that they had made to one of her dishes.
Some of the best years of her life were spent at the Salvation Army Camp Redwood Glen in the Santa Cruz mountains. She was the head cook and many children went home from a stay at CRG with a few extra pounds (as did a few Salvation Army officers). She ruled her kitchen with a velvet fist and helped to shape quite a few young lives. But she left there to return to her family in San Diego and began her last career.
It was no surprise to anyone that her new vocation was in the service of others. She took care of the elderly and made their lives better in two different convalescent homes. Not just a caretaker, but someone who truly cared about her charges. Again, her skills as a chef came in handy. But the true gift she gave those whose care she undertook was her compassion. Her clients were cared for as if by family and she trained her staff to do the same.
Late in life, she finally got her wish to become a “real” published author. She wrote a children’s book titled “Nellie Plants a Garden”. It was finally published when she was 81 years old.
Eva is survived by 4 of her siblings, her 4 children, 5 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.
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