Obituary
Eva May Geist (Tomlinson)
Passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of April 24. She was born in Summitville, Indiana on November 23, 1938. Eva was raised in Fort Wayne and graduated from North Side High School. After high school, she worked at Lincoln Life, the Franklin Jr. High cafeteria, North Highlands Presbyterian Church as the church secretary, and finally at McDonald’s as a hostess. If you ever visited Goshen Road McDonald’s during the 1980s-90s, you probably remember Eva greeting you! You may have walked in as a customer but left as a friend! She really enjoyed connecting with her customers and hosting Ronald McDonald school and community events. After retiring, Eva enjoyed living in her Crooked Lake dream home with the love of her life, Sam. The home was designed by Sam, and with the help of family and friends, the dream became a reality.
In addition to her parents and four sisters, Eva was preceded in death by her husband, Samuel Geist. Sam was a blind date for prom, and it was love at first dance. This blind date was set up by Franklin Geist a dear friend of Eva’s and brother of Samuel. Eva is survived by her children, Katherine (Dennis) of Roanoke, Indiana, Gary (Laura) of Watervliet, Michigan, and Holly (Timothy) of Fort Wayne, Indiana, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.
Eva enjoyed watching her children and grandchildren grow up. She attended all her children’s school events, which included marching band, track, football, and volleyball games. As the years moved along, Eva loved watching her grandkids compete in basketball and baseball games, BMX and Cross-county, and perform at choral concerts. She even volunteered with the Homestead Show Choir where she was everyone’s favorite grandma.
Eva modeled her love for the Lord by caring for and loving her husband, children, and grandchildren. She was involved in many church events, woman’s groups, and bible studies. Every fall she looked forward to gathering supplies to pack in shoeboxes for Samaritans’ Purse Operation Christmas Child. Eva also enjoyed supporting Samuel Enders of the African Dream Academy.
After suffering a debilitating stroke in April of 2016, Eva found joy and happiness living at Lutheran Life Villages. She loved sitting in the sunlight coming through a large set of windows to watch over the gardens and the birds and geese. LLV staff members were greeted daily at these windows for hugs, elbow bumps, love pats, and good mornings. The highlight of Eva’s day was the activities with “Mother Goose.” Eva would take her spoils from BINGO to be gifted to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. However, the chocolate winnings were eaten immediately. The Geist family would like to thank the staff at Lutheran Life Villages for the love they gave to Eva while in their care.
Eva’s family will miss her spunky spirit. The Geist family finds joy in knowing she has found healing and has been united with her heavenly father. Please join us in the celebration of Eva’s life with open hands raised and hallelujahs.
Visitation will be Saturday, May 7 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm at Covington Memorial Funeral Home. The funeral service will follow at 12:00 pm at Covington Memorial.
Donations
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:
Lutheran Life Villages, Pine Valley Activity Funds at https://lutheranlifevillages.org/donate
Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child: build a box online at
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/buildonline/
African Dream Academy
https://www.africandreamacademy.org/donate