Eva Simmons went home to be with her Lord on July 9, 2007 in Clinton.

She was born on the Fourth of July, 1921 in a small farm house near Dent, Minn. to parents Leon and Effa Obert, where she joined older sisters Zadah and Francis, and brothers Wallace and Donald.

She was baptized in the Knife River in Minnesota in August 1934 and lived her life as a strong Christian woman. One of her favorite Bible verses was Second Corinthians 5: 6-8, “While we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. We walk by faith, not sight. We are confident and willing to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

She is survived by Melvin, her husband of 60 years, at home in Clinton; sons Phil (Elke) and Rick (Claudia) of Clinton, and son Paul (Nancy) of Langley. She left behind the seven grandchildren she loved dearly; Chris (Lisa), Jeff (Marilyn), Jennifer (Shane), Kevin, Melissa, Saara, and Skye, as well as the “cutest” great- grandchildren Brandon, Angelina, Tyler, Katelynn, and Savannah, brother Donald, and many nieces, nephews and good friends. You could hardly ever have a conversation with her without her mentioning “those kids sure are cute,” and we knew she wasn’t talking about the older kids.

Eva spent most of her early years in the farmlands of Minnesota. As a young child she did all the things youngsters did in those days. She packed fire wood, milked the cows, hauled water from the well, washed clothes by hand with a washboard, churned butter, helped make maple syrup, and her favorite job was cleaning the barn. She said she would rather do anything instead of housework.

After finishing grade school she lived with her sister Zadah and husband Clarence in Minneapolis so that she could start high school. She moved to Missouri for a short time, and then went west with her mom, dad, and brother Donald, and eventually ended up in Naches where she graduated from high school.

After various jobs and travels along the west coast, she entered nursing school at Seattle College of Nursing and graduated in January 1947 with a degree in nursing and would become a registered nurse.

She met Melvin while attending nursing school, and after marriage they would end up where Melvin was born, on Whidbey Island. There they lived in Clinton, worked, and raised their family, and helped with the kids’ families until her passing.

She was a very active member in St. Peter’s Lutheran church in Clinton until her illness. She taught Sunday school, sang in the church choir, was a member of ladies aid, and volunteered her baking skills for cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, and her famous “brown bread” for what seemed like hundreds of bake sales through the years. We always considered her the “hometown hero” for all the help she gave to someone who was sick, needed help, or just liked her “brown bread.”

She was the best wife, mom, grandma and great-grandma anyone could ask for. Rest in peace mom until we meet again.