Eva Dam Willes

Eva Poulsen Willes was born in Viborg, Denmark on February 16, 1945. She was raised by her

mother Magda Poulsen and grew up with one sister, Connie.

Eva attended high school at Veilefjord Gymnasium followed by nursing school in Denmark. She

came to the United States with Connie in the early 1970's as a traveling nurse with plans to

return to Denmark. As a Seventh Day Adventist, her travels brought her first to Berrien Springs,

Michigan and then to Loma Linda, California, where she worked as an Intensive Care Unit

registered nurse. It was 1973 at Loma Linda where she would meet Edric B. Willes, a medical

student, who turned out to be the love of her life. This relationship is what precluded her from

ever moving back to Denmark. Edric soon proposed to Eva and the two of them married on July

28, 1974 in Glendale, California.  A little over a year later they had their first child, Karen, in

August of 1975, followed by a son, Lawrence, and a daughter Lisa. Eva stopped working as a

nurse when Karen was born and focused on raising their new family while Edric was in his

residency.

As a young mother Eva was active in the community and liked to visit with seniors in retirement

homes. She also loved playing tennis with her friends and husband in the summer, and skiing

with her family in the winter. She maintained close ties with her family in Denmark, and would

spend time there with her children, educating them on their Danish roots. In the U.S. she kept

her Danish traditions alive by making traditional Danish foods such as ris al amande (Christmas

rice pudding), boller (Danish rolls), and rød grød med fløde (red berry pudding with cream) and

burning real candles on the tree at Christmastime.

The traditions that Eva so carefully instilled in her children have carried over to Eva and Edric's

grandchildren, Sydney Ann (daughter of Lisa), Charlotte Rose and Victoria Rae (Daughters of

Lawrence), Julian Anthony and Lily Aubrie (children of Karen) & Villads Vito, Ellie Vita and

Arthur Vilde (children of Lene Mette Larsen, Eva's niece whom she became a mother figure to

after Lene's mothers early demise). All of the grandchildren lovingly call Eva "Mormor" which

translates to “grandmother” in Danish.

After Karen, Lawrence and Lisa moved out of the house and began their own careers and

families, Eva and Edric moved to Bishop, California, where Eva loved to hike in the Eastern

Sierra and grew strong roots with the Bishop SDA church family.

Eva was diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 2015 and passed away on August 21, 2022,

surrounded by her family.

Eva was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and adventurous woman of life, integrity and

much laughter. She will be missed by so many. However, her memory will carry on by all of the

love and laughter we all know and remember her by.