Eileen Gould

Eileen Gould of Spokane, WA passed away peacefully on Sept 10, 2025. She was the seventh of nine children born to Alex and Jennie Besonen of Gay, Michigan. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1949 and immediately accepted a job with the U.S. Government in Munich, Germany. There she met her beloved husband Don. He preceded her in death in 2010. They shared a love of travel over their 30 years in the military. During their 58 year marriage, they travelled the Alaska Highway 28 times, visited all of the Canadian provinces, all 50 states and 12 foreign countries. They lived in Alaska for eight years and enjoyed spending summers in Cooper Landing on the Kenai Peninsula. Eileen enjoyed cooking, reading, knitting, quilting, crossword puzzles and the occasional casino. She was keenly interested in current events and never missed the evening news. Eileen was proud of her Finnish heritage and had what the Finns call "sisu". She was an exceptional person: sweet, caring and compassionate -- even toward spiders. She was simultaneously tenacious and resilient, with a charming sense of humor. She was a great listener and a friend to all she met. And she was a wonderful mother who will be missed by her children and others who had the good fortune to know her. She is survived by her children Victoria Tipton of Spokane, WA, Michael Gould (Jill) and Laura Gould of Anchorage, AK and Patricia Menke (Rex) of Medical Lake, WA. She is also survived by 2 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. The family would like to thank Providence Senior Home for the excellent care she received during the last year of her life.