98 in 11 (My Aunt Eve)

Aunt Eve.

1913 was not a year historians talk about often as only a few “major” news events occurred.

• Woodrow Wilson succeeded William Howard Taft as the 28th President of the United States.
• President Wilson would later trigger the explosion of the Gamboa Dike, ending construction on the Panama Canal.
• The modern zipper is invented.

Morgan Evea with her Great, Great Aunt Eve in 2007, Eve's 95th birthday.

But it was on this date, June 8, in 1913, Evea Krueger was born.

Later, she would marry Lawrence and move to Fairbank. She already was a beautician. She would continue that career until she was well into her 90s. Most of that time, she was a widow as Lawrence died more than 40 years ago.

Eve Stainbrook took care of many women of northeast Iowa inside her beauty salon just off Main Street in Fairbank. We recently had to sell the shop, move her from the farm and into assisted care. (That sentence is full of family stories to be told by mother and Aunt Lynda who did the lion’s share of work in clearing Eve’s house for sale).

Eve with some of her nieces and nephews following Edith's funeral. September 7, 2010.

Her remaining sister, Edith, died in August of 2010. Eve’s other siblings, Thomas Krueger, Delmar Krueger and Dorothy Krueger (Yeager) Lehmann already have passed. Dorthy is my father’s mother for those of you trying to make the connection. Eve is my Great Aunt.

Many of her friends and even customers have passed, too.

She’s a woman with more spark than a 4th of July display. Even the Energizer Bunny asks her to slow down. Eve is as independent as they come. If she had her way, she would still be cutting hair at 98. She was still trying to cut hair at 95 for Pete’s sake. She cared for our family and we care about her.

Kent taking his Aunt Eve to the truck for the ride south.

I grew up listening to my father engage in heavy conversation with two people. Dew Peters and Eve Stainbrook. My dad would never yell at his Aunt (ok, maybe that’s sugar-coated a bit).

My parents have done a lot of care for her over the years and for that, we are grateful. Eve is now in the East Town Care Center in Independence. She’s had a rough few months but recently has gained back some of that spark.

Eve, Happy Birthday. I hope we get to write “99 in 12″ next year. I’m already working on the calendar to give you at Christmas.