EVA (EVE) PAPEZ HERMON
Beloved wife, mother, sister and friend, Eva (Eve) Cecilia Papez Hermon, 85, passed away April 10, 2016, while at home with her family. A Vigil Service will be held at St. Michaels Catholic Church at 7 PM, Friday, April 15, 2016. A Funeral Mass will also be held at St. Michaels at 11 AM, Saturday, April 16, 2016, with a reception following.
Eve Hermon was born November 27, 1930 at home in McGill, Nevada to Nikola and Roza Papez, the second youngest of 11 children. Despite the economic challenges of the time and the marginalization of immigrant families, Eve and her siblings excelled in school. Eve graduated from White Pine High School in Ely, Nevada, in 1948, and was voted Most Outstanding Student during her senior year.
Eve received a degree in nursing from St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise, Idaho, in 1952. She was employed by White Pine Country Hospital until 1956, when, as a young single woman, she accepted a job offer to work at the Valley Hospital in Palmer, Alaska. Not familiar with the frontier environment of Alaska, she arrived in a dress coat, dress and high heels on October 6, 1956. She was readily welcomed into the Palmer community, made many life-long friendships and acclimated to the local culture, offering a strong sense of her identity and a soft heart for others.
On June 28, 1959, Eve married Matanuska Valley Colonist Ben Hermon, beginning their 57 years together, which included raising a family of four children and welcoming extended family and friends into their home. Together they exemplified the virtues of hard work, sharing of talents and community service. She continued to work as a registered nurse until she retired in the late 1980s, being a loving and reliable companion to many who were sick and dying. She was very involved in church activities at St. Michael Parish, PTA, Little League sports and scouting, American Cancer Society and helped establish the hospice program in the Valley. She loved to knit and read books about politics, history and espionage, in addition to watching professional football and baseball, her favorite teams being the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Yankees.
Eve is survived by her husband, Ben Sr.; two sons, Ben Jr. of Lakewood, Colorado, and Jon (and wife Mindy) of Eagle River, Alaska; two daughters, Mary Hermon of Palmer, Alaska and Jewell Evelyn of Colorado Springs, Colorado; three grandchildren, Neil Stimpson, Alexandra Hermon, and Mathias Hermon; sister Patricia Maestes of Ely, Nevada, and many beloved nieces, nephews, in-laws and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents Nikola and Roza, siblings Anne, Jon, Michael, Lucille, Katie, Peter, Rose (Lola), Nick and Jerry, and Hilda Hermon, whom she regarded as a second mother.
Her family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Valley Hospice Resources, 1150 S Colony Way, Suite 3 PMB 349, Palmer, Alaska 99645 (www.valleyhospiceresources.
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