Eeva Wilson Obituary (1937 - 2025)

Eeva Ritva Halonen Wilson Eeva passed away May 7th 2025 just 20 days before her 88th birthday. She was surrounded by loved ones as she left this earth, and was welcomed into Heaven by her husband, Stuart, loving daughter Cathy, parents Hugo and Toini, and her younger brother, Jaakko. Eeva was born in Viipuri, Finland May 27th 1937 to parents Hugo Vijami Halonen and Toini Heitala. Her childhood during WWII was full of trials. As a precautionary measure, in 1941, Eeva and her two toddler brothers were amongst 70,000 Finnish children who were evacuated, without their parents, to live in Sweden with “adoptive” families. In Sweden, Eeva was loved and cared for by the Olson family while her brothers lived with other families in Sweden. Her stories of Sweden were told with laughter and happiness. It was one of the happiest times in her life. When Eeva eventually returned to Finland in 1944, reunited with her biological family, she started another chapter in her life with new challenges, reacquainting herself with her new surroundings, her siblings, and her parents. Eeva even needed to relearn her native tongue. In her early teens, she was introduced to Mormon missionaries, had religious discussions, developed a deep love for Jesus, was baptized, and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She loved the gospel, it was essential to her, and she shared it with those she could. Because of the War, Eeva was exposed to and assisted by the Red Cross which left a lasting, compassionate impression on her. When she was only 17, she bought a ticket to board the ship Kungsholm, which brought her to America. Or so she thought. “I saw a woman standing in the water, holding a torch in one hand and a Book of Mormon in the other”. Even though The Statue of Liberty welcomed Eeva to the United States, U.S. Immigration did not. An unaccompanied 17-year-old minor without a sponsor was not permitted to enter. Another chapter. When the United States denied her entry, Divine Intervention led her to Canada, where she met and fell in love with Stuart G. Wilson. They were married on June 28th, 1958. They had four children in Canada before they moved to Utah, where they added another child to the fold. Stuart and Eeva continued their journey to California, adding yet another child to the family, making six the sum of their total offspring. They weren't done yet. After leaving California to return to Utah, Stuart and Eeva had their final child (and probably the “unspoken” favorite), which brought their total number of children to the lucky number seven. Eeva was always full of ideas, spirituality, and dreams. Behind the scenes, at times, she could be a feisty, fallible human. Still, as a whole, she was a natural and creative artist with an entrepreneurial spirit. She was fearless, determined, courageous, and compassionate. Eeva was the living embodiment of the Finnish Spirit – SISU. Eeva owned a catering business and sewing repair shop, Wilson Tent and Canvas Repair, and excelled in all her talents. She made beautiful artwork: porcelain dolls, elves, Father Christmas, and Christus statues. She loved art and drawing. She was also an excellent seamstress, making and fixing anything. Eeva could speak seven languages, including Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, German, French, and not-perfect English. Apparently, she had an accent, which was news to her children. Eeva enjoyed traveling and seeing other places in the world—different continents, countries, states, and cities—even small ones like Wendover, NV, where the penny slot machines pretty much knew her name. Eeva loved her Finnish heritage and enjoyed making her family a beautiful Christmas Eve dinner with traditional Finnish meat pies and several other dishes. She was a fantastic cook! She loved the kitchen. If you ask any of her grandchildren their favorite memories of her, they will all tell you of her making them crepes with lots of butter and homemade cheese fries! Eeva is survived by her seven loving children and many grandchildren: Jay (Tracy) Wilson, and their children Megan Warren (Brett) with their children Owen, Wilson, Conner, Finnley, and EvaJo; Cameron Wilson (Cassie) with their children Landon, Dex, Milo, Parker, and Mae; and Whitney Burrows (Scott) with their children Carter, Beckham, and Jace. Her daughter Sharon (Dave) and their children Spencer Lunt and Leila Lunt, with Leila’s child, Lupin. Her daughter Eeva Kristiina (Brent) and their children Elissa Olsen (Jordan) with children Anissa, Kat, Juliette, and Henrik; Kristiina Alexandra (Brandon) with children Zeke, Kristiina, Max, and Eddie; Victoria Edwards (Matthew) with children Vivianne, Edith, and Darwin; Christian (Megan) with children Adeline and Caris; and Gabriella Bentson (Alec). Eeva’s son Scott (Marsha) and their children Anna Brown (Cameron) and Anthony Wilson (Abbie), as well as her son Jedd (Angela) with their children Ava, Beck, and Finn, and lastly her daughter Laura Maughan, affectionately known as “Little One” (Joe), with their children Braxton and Lilly. Hyvää Matkaa and “Don't forget who you are!” Though she has departed this life, Eeva’s legacy of SISU, love, faith, and family continues with each generation she leaves earth side. Her love, strength, and creativity will live on in the hearts of all who knew her. Viewing will be held on Thursday, May 15th, from 12:30 to 1:30 at Jenkins-Soffe, 4760 S State St. Murray, followed by a 2:00 pm graveside service at The Murray Cemetery, 5490 S Vine St. Murray.