Eitzen, Ruth Carper (1924-2007)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2007 Apr 30 p. 8

Birth date: 1924 Jul 20

text of obituary:

RUTH CARPER EITZEN

Ruth Carper Eitzen, 82, of Lititz, Pa., died April 11, 2007, of complications related to treatment of a benign brain tumor. She was born July 20, 1924, to Eva Weber Carper and Reuben Carper in Brickerville.

At age 17 she moved with her family to Denbigh, Va. She attended Eastern Mennonite College in Harrisonburg, Va., and graduated in 1948 from Goshen (Ind.) College. From 1950 to 1954 she worked with Mennonite Central Committee in Europe, designing educational materials for children.

She married illustrator Allan Eitzen on July 12, 1954, in Denbigh, Va.

They moved to a country home in Barto, Pa., and had five children. After the children left home, she continued her education at Temple University, where she earned a master’s degree in creative writing.

She was the author of several books for children, including Ti Jacques (1972), White Feather (1987), and Tara’s Flight (forthcoming from Boyds Mills Press). She spent her last years working on a novel and tending to her gardens of native flowers and plants. She also devoted herself to organizing American sponsorship of the Sahara Children’s Home in Nepal, which she had visited and worked with as an educational consultant. She had a profound concern for social justice and was an active participant in church and peace groups. Her gift for emotional intimacy was enjoyed by many friends.

Survivors include her husband, Allan; five children, Hilda, Dirk, Ann, Laura and John; and eight grandchildren.

Memorial services were held at Bally (Pa.) Mennonite Church.