Eva Joell

Eva Joell

1937 - 2022

Eva Joell passed away peacefully on April 21, 2022 at her Napa residence.

Eva Redding Abbott was born on July 6, 1937, in Goshen, NY to Lorena (née Bede) and Frank R. Abbott.

Eva grew up in Warwick, NY, the youngest of three girls. After high school, she attended Oberlin College (Ohio) and Union Theological Seminary (NYC), earning her Masters in Religious Education. Eva spent several years as Director of Christian Education at churches in Massachusetts, Ohio, and California before turning her focus to public education.

Eva's teaching career started with a year in El Monte, CA, before spending 6 years as a 3rd & 4th grade teacher at Dunbar Elementary School in Glen Ellen.

In 1972, Eva joined a Sierra Club hike to the top of Mt. St. Helena that changed her life. The hike leader was J. Michael Joell, and the two were immediately smitten. They married in 1973, and soon welcomed two children. After a break from teaching to stay home with her young children, Eva joined NVUSD where she would work for the next 25 years. In her years with the school district, she held a variety of positions, including as a substitute teacher, reading specialist, and was the sole teacher in the K-8 Independent Study Program for over a decade.

Eva loved the outdoors, and could regularly be found walking in her neighborhood or hiking in Westwood Hills Park. As a family, there were many camping trips in the Sierras and Redwoods, Yosemite and Plumas Eureka State Park being particular favorites.

Eva was passionate about affordable senior housing and food security. She served many terms on the board of the Napa Housing Foundation over a 40 year period, and was an instrumental part of the NHF board that took Napa Creek Manor from vision to reality in the early 80's.

Over the last 20 years Eva was very active in food charities, serving as the site coordinator for the SHARE program, and later the Food-OPortunities program. When Food-OP ceased operations in the region, she and her team from the Methodist Church turned their energies towards assisting at The Table, joining the rotation of groups serving meals. It wasn't long before Eva found herself on The Table's board of directors.

A resourceful cook, Eva enjoyed improvising meals and feeding others. She found the perfect outlet when she began cooking for The Table, taking great pride in her ability to repurpose leftovers and donated items into delicious, filling meals. She was particularly known for her soups.

During her years in Napa, Eva was involved with the Napa Babysitting Co-op, AAUW, Napa Reading Association, Retired Teachers Association, United Methodist Women, and served on various committees within the Napa Methodist Church and the Valley Green Association.

Eva is survived by her children Amy Herzog (Peter) of Napa; Kevin Joell (Jennifer) of Reno, NV; step-children Jon Joell and Jennifer Joell (Scott), both of Santa Rosa; and Diane Schell of Oregon; grandchildren Joshua (Grace) and Apollo, and 4 nieces and nephews. Eva was predeceased by her husband Mike, and sisters Marjorie and Nancy.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Napa Methodist Church, 625 Randolph St, Napa, CA on Saturday, July 9 at 11 AM followed by a lunch reception.