Vera Eini

1937- 2008 Vera Eini, 70, died peacefully and with dignity on Aug. 9, 2008. Born Dec. 11, 1937, in Hardin, MT, to Lois and George Schwabauer, Vera spent the first 25 years after high school as a Catholic nun, teaching and counseling children, youth and adults in Montana and Kansas. In 1980, she left the cloister, earned a Master of Social Work degree and began dating her future husband, Shim Eini. Over the years and through many relocations, Vera thrived on new experiences and challenges, especially those that advanced the cause of social justice. She and Shim also traveled extensively in the Americas and abroad. They lived briefly in Salt Lake City in the late1980s, where they became active in South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society (SVUUS). In 2000, they returned to Utah, where Vera counseled abused children at the Family Support Center. Even after retirement, Vera worked tirelessly for causes dear to her: lobbying legislators on behalf of the Utah Coalition of Religious Communities, tutoring English at Guadalupe Center, counseling children of deployed military personnel, campaigning for Utah Democrats, and facilitating programs at SVUUS. Vera valiantly fought an aggressive form of cancer diagnosed in late 2006. With a terminal recurrence this spring, Vera chose to spend her remaining time with Shim on a final adventure, cruising the coast of Norway. Vera is survived by her stepmother Fern Schwabauer; sisters Barbara Jones (Colorado) and Evelyn Premo (Florida); brother Roy (California); stepsister Louellen Shacklette (Arizona); stepbrother Michael Thompson (Wisconsin); nieces, nephews and countless friends. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m., Sept. 14, 2008, at SVUUS, 6876 S. Highland Dr. (2000 East), Salt Lake City. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the SVUUS Vera Eini Memorial Fund in support of a building campaign to make the entire church accessible to all.