Eva R. French

Eva R. French, age 72, left this earth and stepped into the arms of her loving Savior on Tuesday, January 26, 2021. She was a devout Christian, and a member of Grand Rapids First, where her husband served as an associate pastor. She was an amazing, loving wife and mother. A genuine Proverbs 31 woman. Eva loved to sew but enjoyed most tending to her large garden. Many bountiful harvests were shared with family, neighbors, and friends throughout the years. Holiday meal prep began months in advance with the freezing, canning, and storing of Mom’s garden produce. “Grandma’s corn” and “Eva’s rolls” were truly legendary. Growing up, her kids hardly knew that store bought food existed. As the family grew, making sure the kids and grandkids had vegetables was so important that she figured out a way to smuggle large quantities of her frozen “goods” during her visits to Canada. She would ship overnight shipments of homemade rolls and Thanksgiving leftovers to Pennsylvania when safe travel weather prevented the family to all be together. Eva retired in 2019 from EBW after 26 years of employment. She is preceded in death by her parents, Harvey and Edna Wenger; and her brother-in-law, Boe Harbison. She is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, Larry; children, Dana and Rob Dernberger, Matt and Annie French, Dawn and Billy Losito Jr.; 11 grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; sisters and brothers, Mary Buckwalter and Bill Plasha, Edna and Brad Yonker, Anna and Rick Horn, Mabel and Mike Brenner, Linda and Terry Koetje, John and Junko Wenger, and Eddie and Martha Wenger. A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Grand Rapids First Church Missions at https://app.securegive.com/GRFirst/designated-missions/donate/category.