Dr. Eva Maria Wessell

Dr. Eva Wessell passed away peacefully on April 18, 2025, surrounded by her family and friends. She was 85 years old. Eva is survived by her husband, Earl Wessell, and daughter and son-in-law, Christina and Cliff Batcheler; and her granddaughter. Eva was very close with her siblings, nieces, and nephews. She frequently saw them even though they spanned the globe and resided in Washington, Florida, and Illinois, as well as Germany, Dubai and France.

Born in East Germany and later living in West Germany, Eva was a gifted poet, writer, and organizer. She grew up Catholic and was a leader of many Catholic Youth Groups. She left high school and worked in a steel mill as a chemist in Germany. Eva was an avid traveler at an early age, so it was no surprise that she traveled to New Jersey as an Au Pair in her early 20s. She planned on returning to Germany after 1-2 years, however, she was recruited for her chemistry expertise to Los Angeles as a scientist, building 17-layer printed circuit boards that were essential in spacecraft and rockets for the Apollo Mission.

Eva attended University of California, Irvine, B.A. (German), 1978, B.A. (Classical Civilization), 1980, M.A., 1980, Ph.D., 1987. For her second career, Eva was a lecturer in the Humanities Department at the University of California, Irvine and also taught German at Saddleback Community College. Eva was a published scholar and wrote the following:

(With Herbert Lehnert) Nihilismus Der Menschenfreundlichkeit: Thomas Manns "Wandlung" und sein Essay Goethe und Tolstoi, V. Klostermann (Frankfurt, Germany), 1991.

(Editor and contributor, with Herbert Lehnert) A Companion to the Works of Thomas Mann, Camden House (Rochester, NY), 2004.

Contributor to books, including Thomas Mann's Erzählprosa, edited by Volkmar Hansen, Reclam (Stuttgart, Germany), 1993

In 2004, Eva, a member of the Deutsche Thomas Mann Gesellschaft, edited A Companion to the Works of Thomas Mann

In 2005, she served as a contributor, organizer, and translator for the Joint U.S.-German War Memorial that was erected in her hometown of Grossräschen, Germany.

Eva spent her life in Orange County with treasured years in Corona del Mar, Newport Beach, and Capistrano Beach at her beloved "house on the bluff." Eva and Earl hosted many parties for friends and family throughout the years.

A social spirit to the end, Eva remained lively, curious, and full of warmth until just days before her passing. She leaves behind a legacy of kindness, connection, and service, and a wide circle of friends and family who were fortunate to know her.

Eva is buried at Pacific View Mortuary & Memorial Park in Corona Del Mar.