Eunice Hart Wilbur

EUNICE HART WILBUR Eunice Hart (Jones) Wilbur, age 88, passed away peacefully in her home in Sun City, Arizona, on November 15, 2025, after a difficult battle with cancer. Eunice was born near Boonville, Missouri, on January 28, 1937. She was the daughter of Jesse Dale and Evelyn Ada (Hart) Jones. Her family eventually settled in Sabetha, Kansas, where she graduated from High School. She attended the University of Kansas for three years when she met Donald Wilbur Jr, the love of her life. After a whirlwind courtship, they married and moved to Manhattan, Kansas, where she graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. She soon followed her husband to Germany, where he was serving in the Army Security Agency. It was there that their first two children, Donald and Cindy, were born. When the family returned from Germany, they settled in Ames, Iowa, where their youngest child, Rebecca, was born. The family then lived in Nebraska, Indiana, Wisconsin, and finally in Paola, Kansas. Eunice spent over 50 years of her life in Paola and the last few years in Sun City, Arizona. Eunice taught first grade for a short period but spent most of her life as a housewife. She loved adventure from ziplining in the rain forest of Costa Rico to paragliding in New Zealand. She loved going to new places and trying new and exciting things, and was fortunate enough to be able to travel all around the world. She loved hiking in Colorado, where she always took time to stop and identify wildflowers. She climbed Longs Peak at the age of 60. She was fond of word puzzles of all kinds. She was a longtime member of the Paola Presbyterian Church and the P.E.O. Sisterhood. Eunice was a wonderful mother, friend, confidant, and partner known for her kindness, her wonderful sense of humor, and her eternal optimism. She is preceded in death by a brother, Donald Jones. She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Donald Wilbur, Jr., her three children: Donald Wilbur III and his wife Miglena of Sacramento, California, Cindy Wilbur and her husband Robert Kleopfer of Sun City, Arizona, and Rebecca and her husband Mark Fillipitch of Sun City Festival; five grandchildren: Brock, David, Lauren and Alec Fillipitch and Denver Wilbur; a sister, Janice Paine and a sister-in-law, Amy Jones. The family plans to hold a memorial service later.