Eva Grove Obituary

Eva Grove
November 28, 1935 - May 31, 2023
Our mother, Eva Grove, passed away on 5/31/23 after a short but fierce illness. She died at home, supported and surrounded by those she loved.
Born in Vienna, Austria to Selma and Karl Kastan on 11/28/35, Eva spent her childhood years in Bolivia where she fled with her family after Kristelnacht, and later immigrated to the US where they settled in Queens, NY.
Her life was dedicated to giving back. She was inspired by her parents and guided by the motto of her alma mater, Hunter College; "The Care of the Future is Mine."
She facilitated adoptions as a Santa Clara County social worker. She volunteered, once receiving the Golden Speculum Award from a local chapter of Planned Parenthood. She tutored immigrants, preparing them for their citizenship interviews. She canvassed, marched, wrote postcards, op-eds and letters and served on the board of her beloved Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC).
When asked about her religion she would say "Recycling" and her final wish was to be composted so that she could turn to soil for a forest and "become part of the world again."
She was a skier, a hiker, a biker and a baker who specialized in adding raisins to just about everything. She baked birthday cakes for those she loved. We all, including every staff member of her foundation family, will remember this fondly.
She touched us with her quirky approach to daily life: her prolific use of her label maker, her collection of jams, her example of dancing at every occasion and her spirit of participation, which included a competitive game of musical chairs on a beach last August. She didn't win the game, but she was surely the crowd favorite.
Eva was preceded in death by her husband, Andy and is survived by her two daughters and six grandchildren. She leaves behind old friends, her neighbors on Garland, her walking companions, her card playing best pals, the staff of her foundation and her extended family.
In lieu of flowers or tears, please rinse your containers before recycling and label your leftovers. She would kindly recommend that any donations in her honor be directed to the ILRC. The Family would like to invite you to share remembrances at https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/4VrbMVeF/honoring-eva

Published by San Francisco Chronicle on Jun. 8, 2023.

Memories and Condolences
for Eva Grove

Sponsored by Fernwood Funeral Home Cemetery & Crematory.

6 Entries

Missy

August 17, 2023

Dear. Family and friends of Eva,
Though I never met Eva, I read this wonderful remembrance of her, smiling and nodding with gratitude for all she has done. I share her religion of Recycling, though in the past I´ve been only a fairly good recycler. Now? I rinse my containers before recycling. Every time. Just did it this morning. Thank you and bless you, Eva

Randall E Nelson

July 7, 2023

My deepest condolences. Truly a person (like Andy) who made a huge difference in this world. My heat goes out to K and R and Eva's grandchildren.

Bryan Neider

June 22, 2023

I had the blessing of speaking with Eva at an event we hosted several weeks ago. Eva was a wonderful champion of our organization's mission supporting the developmental disabilities community. Her compassion and commitment to our community, her family and friends will leave a hole that will be hard to replace. We're grateful for all the both Eva and Andy did for others.

Adrianne Amantea

June 14, 2023

Eva was truly a character. Very funny but not really knowing how funny she could be. She always arrived with a smile on her face and a delicious dessert in her hands. Her first question when she arrived was always inquiring about us. She was adventurous, generous and made the best margaritas I have had to date. We laughed, we ate and we cheered to life. Eva will be cheering to her wonderful life from where she lives now with her grand smile. I will miss her tremendously. Much love, Adrianne

Dave Roos

June 13, 2023

My favorite memory of Eva Grove.
I was her veterinarian. She always came in, in older clothes. I thought she did not have much money. She brought her dog, a beautiful German Shepherd. It had very inflamed feet. It was very red and irritated between the pads. I did something that didn't work. She came back in and I said if she could afford it, I would like to do a biopsy. She said, "Of course, biopsy it." I found the answer very quickly and was able to treat her dog. When somewhat later I learned more about her, I was very very surprised.