Eva Amy Barber Daniels

Eva Amy Barber Daniels

Eva Barber Daniels passed away unexpectedly on March 1, 2020. Eva was born in Newport, Wash. on Jan. 11, 1937, to Del Barber and Grace Leslie Barber. Eva’s mother died when she was five years old so Eva was raised by her widowed father, her older brother Gene Barber, her grandparents Eva and William Leslie, her aunt and uncle Alice and Happy Kreugle and other aunts and uncles of the Leslie family.

Growing up, Eva spent many hours in Del’s O.K. Tire Shop on the North Hill. She attended McKinley School and graduated from Bonners Ferry High School, Class of 1955. This year was her 65th high school reunion.

After graduation, Eva attended the University of Idaho where she met Stan Daniels of Houston, Texas, who was getting his master’s degree in mechanical engineering. They were married in August of 1957 in the old Methodist Church in Bonners Ferry, then moved to Houston where Stan had a job in the oil fields. They settled in Houston and had two daughters, Kathryn and Elizabeth. Upon realizing that they missed living in the mountains, Stan secured a job as an aerospace engineer at Hercules, Inc., in Utah and they moved with their girls in 1962. Their third daughter, Joan, was born soon after that.

In 1971, Eva entered college to become a nurse. She earned her LPN license and went to work on the night shift as an emergency room nurse. She continued her education and graduated from the four-year R.N program in 1978. She was a valuable member of the hospital staff for nearly 20 years and eventually worked her way up to Pre-Admissions Coordinator before retiring in 1995.

Eva was active in the community, serving not only on her local Community Council but the Salt Lake County Department of Health as well. She was active in Girl Scouts of Utah, steering her girls through the Girl Scouting program over the course of 20 years. A true gardener, she loved playing in the dirt, planting seeds and watching them grow. She won many ribbons at the state and county fairs for her produce and canned goods.

Eva and Stan enjoyed a long retirement together, going on plenty of trips, both internationally and domestically. Eva loved gardening at her dearly loved “Tater Ridge Farm” in Utah. She was a Master Gardener and received the Master Gardener of the Year award in 2002 through Utah State University.

Since the passing of her beloved husband, Eva let her “inner artist” flourish and joined a painting class at the local Senior Center. She painted all her favorite subjects of flowers, birds, and trees. She enjoyed sharing her paintings and was included in an artists’ exhibit shortly before her passing.

Eva always opened her heart and generously shared her loving spirit with everyone she met.

Eva is survived by daughters Kathryn Star Heart Huggins (LD), Bonners Ferry, Elizabeth Johnson (John) and Joan DeSpain (Rich), Utah. Grandchildren: Tiffany Noorlander (Dave), Utah, Tabitha Shurtleff (Tad), Las Vegas, Ben Heart (Emily), Billings, Mont,, Maggie DeSpain, Amy DeSpain, Utah, and Great-Grandchildren Cole (Morgan), Cortney, Clay, Lily, Jessica and Cadence. Eva had a special bond with cousins Ruth Ann Wilson and Pat Miles as well as her lifetime friend, Joan Bardsley Thomas. She also loved every one her friends from the Class of 1955.

Celebration of Life service will be held at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in West Valley City, Utah, on March 13, 2020. She will be interred in the Grand View Cemetery in Bonners Ferry in July. Eva was a Bonners Ferry girl through and through and her wish was to be brought back “home” to the place she loved the most.

Please share your memories of Eva at www.peelfuneralhome.com.