Our dear sweet and beautiful mother, grandmother and great-grandmother Eva Mae Nelson went to be with our Lord on Feb. 12, 2023. Eva was born in Kansas City, Kan., to Carl and Catherine Brown. She married James G. Nelson, the love of her life at the age of 18 who preceded her in death, and her forever companion who she loved very much George McGuire Sr. who also preceded her in death. Eva loved Winslow and all her friends. She graduated in the class of 1954 and was very involved in high school and her reunions. Eva was also very active in the Order of Rainbows for Girls as a teenager and she was a member of the Epsilon Sigma Alpha International Sorority. She was a past president many times and a lifetime member of Soroptimist International of Winslow. Eva was the director of business at the Winslow Memorial Hospital and she worked for many doctors here in our town. Eva Mae was a member of the Winslow Historical Society and enjoyed working at the museum very much. She was a member of the First Baptist Church, being a member since she was a little girl and WMU at the church. She loved being with her lady friends and looked forward to every Friday morning to be with them. Eva showed her love in so many ways, but most of all she loved her children and grandchildren and enjoyed and loved George’s children and families as her own. We are so grateful for the way we were raised; she never was afraid to put her foot down to teach us right from wrong and make sure we did our best. She was always there for all of us no matter what. Eva Mae is survived by her daughters, Diane (Mont) Garner, Jolene (Rusty) Efaw and son-in-law Randy Neal; George (Sarah) McGuire, Pam McGuire-Pruitt, Becky McGuire and brother-in-law Darrell Nelson; sisters, Betty Jo (Ted) Bozarth and Carla (Mike) Beeson; grandchildren, Andrea (Spencer) Leask, Nathan (Tiffany) Garner, Jayme (Aaron) Romero, Cameron Neal and Brandy Jo Winchester; great-grandchildren, Emily Neal, Jewel Ben, Jace Leask, Ellie Mae Leask, Thademm Reign Garcia-Neal, Geighe Garcia-Neal, Kierstyn Neal, and many nieces and nephews. Eva Mae was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Catherine Brown; infant sister, Helen Jo Brown; mother and father-in-law, Millie and Owen Nelson; sisters-in-law, Lola Walters and Tavie Stevens; her daughter, Cathie Neal; grandsons, Chase Neal and Aaron Michael Romero; great-granddaughter, Kayleighanna Garcia-Neal; brother-in-law, Ted Bozarth; Cindy McGuire, Michael McGuire, Michael Beeson and Hayden Walton. A mother holds her children’s hands for a while, but holds their hearts forever. We will truly miss you, Eva. A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18. at the First Baptist Church, with a graveside service following at the Desert View Cemetery. A reception at Bojo’s Restaurant will follow the graveside service. We would like to give a special thanks to Brookdale Assisted Living in Flagstaff and Maggie’s Hospice in Flagstaff. Thanks for all you did for Eva Mae, and know you will remain in our hearts forever. In lieu of flowers you may donate to Maggie’s Hospice Palliative Care Services www.MaggiesHospice.com (928) 438-8500. Greer’s Mortuary of Winslow handled the arrangements.
