It is with love and sadness that our family announces the death of Eileen Marion Ewing, who died on June 11, 2021, at the age of 77 years, 8 months and 19 days. Eileen (also known as Sam) was born on September 23, 1943 in Beaumont, Texas. Eileen passed on in her lovely apartment in Salt Lake City, UT, with views of the mountains, tended by her eldest daughter and an honor guard of friends and professional caregivers.
After a difficult year of illness and physical challenge, Eileen developed a serious pulmonary condition in mid April 2021, followed by several other lung ailments, including a break-through case of COVID-19 at the end of May 2021. After weeks of struggle and multiple hospital and nursing home admissions, Eileen requested hospice care. She died resting on her side, covered by a favorite blanket, with the scent of California sage in the air.
Although Eileen’s early years were spent in Beaumont Texas, she was primarily raised in Shreveport, Louisiana along with her three younger siblings. Few people know that Eileen also had a twin sister, Carolyn Ewing, who sadly died shortly after their birth. Eileen believed they would be reunited one day. While in Louisiana, Eileen was a promising artist and young model. Inheriting the family love of travel and adventure, she left college after two years and set out for California in the late 1960’s.
She eventually settled in San Francisco during the counter culture revolution. There, Eileen was part of a radical communal family called the Diggers, who were instrumental in feeding hundreds every day, securing them free health care and attending to their physical needs with a Free Store. She also continued her art and participated in many seminal cultural events of the era.
People who knew her well from that community describe her as “breathtakingly beautiful,” “strong yet vulnerable,” “a gifted seamstress and designer.” Several remembered her as a “big sister.” She helped many young women learn how to live communally, heal with herbs, tan animal skins and offered them support when they most needed it.
Eileen’s commitment to the “back to the land” movement continued in Southern Humboldt County through the early 1990’s, where she was an avid gardener as well as a practicing artist. Friends noted Eileen’s strong connection to nature, particularly the Northern California redwoods.
Always restless to explore new landscapes and communities, she moved frequently, particularly with her youngest daughter, Miranda. They lived in numerous towns across the Western United States.
In 2016 Eileen moved to Salt Lake City, UT where her elder daughter Ariel lived at the time. She made good friends there who described her as “sweet,” “feisty,” and “an incredibly special lady.”
She continued to explore the Utah landscape as long as she could, but when she became nearly immobilized by spinal problems, she settled into an elegant assisted living community, Legacy Village. There, she was surrounded by attentive caregivers, who remember her unique perspectives on life, artistic nature and infectious laugh.
Throughout her life Eileen delved into numerous religious, spiritual and metaphysical traditions. Most consistently she practiced Nichiren Shōshū Buddhism, Native American rituals, and more recently she discovered great solace and community in the LDS faith.
Eileen adored animals and always had a pup as a companion. Her fur baby of the last 11 years, Lucy, has been adopted by a loving caregiver who Eileen knew well and trusted completely.
A long time friend summed up Eileen this way, “She was such a generous and loving spirit—beautiful, talented, complex and never, ever boring”
Our family is especially grateful to the staff, management and CNA’s at Legacy Village, who cared for her with compassion, humor and dedication for the last 18 months of her life. We would also like to thank the caregivers at Canyon Hospice and the overnight aid from Right at Home, all of whom went beyond the call of duty to treat Lulu (as her granddaughter calls her) with dignity, kindness, patience and joy.
Eileen leaves behind her daughters, Ariel Coyote Ford and Miranda Rose Valadez, as well as her only grandchild, Evangeline Ruth Ford. She also leaves her son-in-law Alexander Ford and her siblings Diane (Scott) Lawrence, Steve (Karen) Ewing, and Barbara (Noel) Miner, as well as a “surrogate” daughter, LaRisa Call, along with nieces and nephews, friends, dedicated dog walkers, and a caring church community.
A celebration of Eileen’s life will be held in northern California and will be announced as soon possible.
If you feel moved to donate in her honor, the following are programs she supported:
www.heroesandhorses.org
www.utahfoodbank.org
https://slco.org/animal-services/
I remember Eileen has a beautiful woman, a beautiful spirit ahead of her time. This sweet and smiling lady was a force to be reckoned with. My prayers and thoughts are with you all
Love you all very much. I will miss her, and think of her often when I am on the land <3
Dearest Ariel and Family,
I offer my sincerest condolences.
The obituary is really beautiful, it opened a window into her life that gave me a glimpse of a woman, who lived a very creative and passionate life.
I hope that you all find solace in knowing that she was a true lover of life.
May Eileen find peace in the Great Beyond.
🙏🏾💕🌟
Cristhal
Missing Eileen so much. I got so much amazing life advice from her, and I'm so grateful I got to spend a lot of time with her in the months before her passing. She will have an impact on my life forever. Sending her whole family so much love. Wherever you are Eileen, thank you for everything. Love you and miss you.
My deepest condolences and prayers go out to the family. I was blessed to know Eileen and had many wonderful conversations with her as her ecclesiastical leader. She loved this earth, she loved God and she loved those all around her. She was a very caring and devoted individual. My life was blessed because of Eileen. May God grant peace and comfort to her family as she reunites with those that have gone before.
Michael Chapman forwarded this to me. Very sad to lose wonderful people from our midst. Met Sam about forty to fifty years back on a return visit to SF. Condolences to Ariel, Peter, Miranda and entire extended family, of skin and fur. A loved and loving, lovely life. 💕
My clearest memories of Eileen (I always knew her primarily as Sam), are at Olema Way Station. The gypsy truckers were staying behind the barn, and in the barn. Sam and Peter and Ariel were in a little cabin even further behind the barn, and we would sometimes talk. I loved her as I did all the wonderful people I became acquainted with at the ranch.
What a special woman she was. I'm glad her final time was spent with those who loved her. May she truly rest in peace. My heart goes out to you two girls. Always remember the joy and wonder of being her daughters, of having this great influence in your making. Blessings to you and all the others of us morning her loss.
We came into Eileen’s life late in all of our lives. She was a joy to know. She always greeted us with her beautiful smile when we visited with her. She shared some of her life experiences with us and blessed us with her friendship.. She was a delight! Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this tender time. Thank you for the beautiful obituary. It meant a lot to learn more about her life. She is loved.!
It is sad to hear of Sam's last struggles and sad to know that she no longer walks the earth with us. I know that finding deeper spiritual meaning was an important quest for Sam. I hope she found some of this in her passing. You, Ariel, are a tribute to one of the ways Sam walked on this earth in the way you are taking care of her even now after her passing. Blessings to you and others whom Sam touched and who are affected by this event we will all eventually share.
With great affection,
--Kenoli Oleari
I have written so much about Eileen over the past few weeks, I'd say I’ve said it all, but bet I haven’t.. Eileen…. Eileen watched over me when we lived at Olema, advice, care, kindness…. She continued to function as a serious big sister at Turkey Ridge (example: she supported my going to college and wouldn’t let me cook!), and even years later on Facebook, Sam’s wise advice was still coming.. Eileen loved me, supported me, while at the same time, pretty much everything that came out of her mouth was funny.. She saw the humor in everything and saw it instantaneously. Her reaction would arrive literally in seconds. Her sense of humor was so, just so, spot-on — yet always warm. Even at times in her life when she was deeply hurting inside (and she didn’t hide that either) , she still missed nothing: Shed make a crack and damn! could make me laugh. Eileen stuck to her guns about what she believed which led to some actual avoidable poverty. Lots of us joined the world a little more, but not Sam and Sam was a superstar or could have been whenever she’d chosen to. And she never did. She will always be one of my heroes. I have donated $50 in her name to the Wounded Warriors Project. She chose them for the last Facebook birthday fundraiser I remember. Thus, this was a group to whom she donated. Love, Lynnie
Eileen, joyously spread light to all of us!!! That light made your heart and soul smile!!!! SHE WILL BE MISSED BUT HEAVEN IS GOING TO SMILE AND BE BRIGHTER!!!! Chips Kinnebrew
Eileen was a joy to be with! She could kept us spell bound with all of her stories about and the things she did throughout her life. Some stories made us laugh and some made our mouths drop open. To say she was an interesting person with an interesting life would be a vast understatement. She was also very spiritual. I had the privilage of sitting in on the six lessons she took from missionaries from the LDS church and was impressed at the depth of her understancing and desire to know more. I had the privilege and honor of baptzing her into the LDS church. She has a part of my heart forever. I have no doubt that she is extremely happy where she is. tears fill my eyes as I write this. Bye my dear friend. I look forward to seeing you again.
It was with great sadness to hear of Eileen's passing. My deepest sympathies and condolences to Ariel, Miranda and to her family and extended family of friends.
Although I wasn't close to Eileen, I did have many wonderful conversations with her. One that sticks out was a discussion around making Native American Indian drums. We spent an hour discussing the process and she showed me many examples she had and gave me a demonstration. I had a sawmill and she wanted me to save any thin strips of vertical grain Douglas Fir for her to use for making drums. I deeply regret that I never managed to get them to her. I was young(26), wild and distracted. I am certain she understood.
Both Ariel and Miranda are testaments to the character of Eileen's quest for knowledge, generousity and artistic spirit. I known them both since the mid 80"s and care deeply for them. They carry that same curiosity, compassion and talent for the arts. It isn't always easy being the child of a free spirit, a seeker, an artist. I send my prayers to her and those that loved her. A free spirit has been set free.
I knew Eileen only through email exchanges over the years. I just went hunting for her address to let her know I was finally finishing an embroidery she inspired me to start decades ago. I am sad for her family and friends; she had a wonderful presence. The obituary is a fitting tribute to a creative and loving spirit.
