Farewell to “Baby” Eva

Last month, our great-aunt Eva passed away at 93 years old. She was the last remaining of the eight ‘Banks Kids’, the close-knit family whose (partial) story I told in ‘Home in the Woods’. (Eva’s obituary is here).

When I was working on making my grandma Marvel and her siblings’ story into a children’s picture book, I had chats with the 4 living siblings to collect whatever details they could remember from their days living in the woods surviving the Great Depression. Eva, quiet and humble, at first said that she wouldn’t have much to add because she was only a baby at the time. But they lived in that shack for the first 5 years of her life and not only did she remember quite a lot, but she carried all her siblings’ memories with her too. She was a wealth of information. 

It was a puzzle of a story that took me 7 years of writing and rewriting. When the book was finally finished, Eva’s response after seeing it was the greatest compliment I could’ve received when she asked, “How did she know what it looked like?”

It’s been an amazing experience to be able to hear from young readers and parents of ‘Home in the Woods’ who have connected with The Banks’ story. They’ve shared the sweetest letters, photos, and drawings. Possibly one of the cutest was from Frankie in Australia, who wanted to send money and ‘treasures’ to Marvel and Eva.

It’s the greatest reward that their quiet lives and simple story continues to touch kids across the globe. The Banks were a tight-knit crew of absolute chums. When these siblings were together they seemed the most at home.

Sending love and care to Eva’s family; her daughters, grandsons, nieces & nephews and beyond. Rest in peace ~ Eva, Dal, Lowell, Marvel, Bea, Rich, Marv, Ray, and parents Clara and Louis. We imagine you all reunited in a big blueberry patch in the sky. 

To see the ‘Behind the Book’ (12-minute) short film about ‘Home in the Woods’, made by my spouse Adam Wheeler, which captures pieces of the bookmaking process and the Banks kids’ story, visit here: 

Thank you for reading,