Eunice Love Gainer

Eunice Love Wachtel Gainer, 91 years old (almost 92!), dedicated wife, mother,

grandmother, aunt, sister, and friend, passed away peacefully at home on 1/23/26 in Spring Hill,

KS.

Eunice was born on 3/9/1934 as the oldest child to David King Wachtel and Eunice

Thelma Fulp Wachtel. She was the daughter of a preacher and lived in various places in the

south, landing in Nashville, TN, where she graduated from Trevecca High School. She had many

fond memories of attending there (most were mischievous) and made lifelong friends.

She went to Bethany Nazarene College, where she graduated with a home economics

degree and became a dietitian working at General Hospital in Nashville, and then managed the

kitchen at DuPont. It was this job that sent her to West Virginia, where she met the love of her

life, Ty Gainer. They married in April 1958 after meeting the previous November. They were

married for 65 years and are now reunited in heaven.

She and Ty returned to Nashville, where they had a daughter, Patricia Joy (Gainer) Carter.

Eunice loved her daughter, and stories have it that she dressed her up every day while she was a

baby. She went to the majority, if not all, of her school activities (band and sports) and her church

activities (quizzing and talent shows). She instilled in her daughter a wonderful work ethic,

giving her her first job when she could barely walk, Christian values with a love for Jesus, the

love of cooking, the love of family, and the love of reading a good book, among many other

things.

Eunice worked in the family business that grew into a large fundraising company where

she had many employees under her. She and her sisters traveled to make decisions on what to

sell, and these stories are wonderful. She hired her daughter, nieces, and nephews, and remained

tough even when they went on strike. She was a woman before her time.

Eunice loved the Lord and helped out in her church, where she was an active member and

leader of the Women’s ministry. She loved to sing the wonderful hymns of the church and sang

them during her last days here on earth.

Eunice loved her family in a big way. She enjoyed spending time with them (whether in

KS, TN, or OK), and one of her favorite ways was to play games. She was an unbeatable force

when it came to Chinese checkers, even beating those who came to see her while in hospice.

Her grandchildren were the apple of her eye, and she loved being “Mimi.” She enjoyed

having them come and stay with her during the summer until their extracurricular activities

became too demanding, and then she and Ty stayed the summers with them, playing games,

cooking, sewing (she made many of their clothes), and taking them to places while building

memories.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Tyrus Gainer, her dad, David Wachtel, her

mom, Eunice Wachtel, and her brother, David Wachtel, Jr.

She is survived by her daughter Patricia Joy “Patty Jo” Gainer Carter (Cliff Carter), her

grandchildren Matthew Carter (Sara), Michael Carter (fiancée Olivia), and Hannah Carter. She is

survived by her two sisters, Carol Wachtel Williams and Rebecca Wachtel Dorris, sister-in-law

Sharon Wachtel, and many beloved nieces and nephews who knew her as “Noona”.

She left a wonderful legacy and will surely be missed by many.

Celebration of Life will be April 26 at Grace Church of the Nazarene, 2620 Pennington Bend Rd,

Nashville, TN, at 3:30 with visitation to begin at 3:00.

Donations may be made to Artist Helping the Homeless, St Judes Research Hospital or Donate Life.