THE VILLAGES, Fla. – Our beloved, vibrant, ever cheerful Eva left us on Sept. 12, 2020, to dance with the angels in heaven.
Eva always had a smile to give and will be greatly missed by her wide circle of family and friends.
Eva Maria Grum of The Villages was born on May 10, 1940, in Klein Giesen Germany, near Hannover, to Marianne (Lipinski) and Johannes Wilk. She entered the U.S. in 1960 without any knowledge of the English language and worked in New York City as a store clerk. While in New York City, she met and fell in love with the man of her dreams, fellow German Martin Grum (Bavaria).
They were married on May 5, 1963, moved to rural upstate NY, and purchased the Schenevus Food Market, a grocery, delicatessen and retail meat market in Schenevus.
While living in Schenevus, Eva gave birth to daughter Cornelia. She was active in the community, attending and assisting with bingo nights, belonging to championship bowling leagues and serving on the Ladies Auxiliary of the C H Graham Hose Co. She especially loved serving on the annual Schenevus Carnival committees and marching in the many villages parades.
After selling the Schenevus Food Market, Eva worked for Astrocom Electronics Inc. in Colliersville. Not long after, in 1981, Eva and Marty started their move southward to Highland, to open Marty’s Quality Meats. In 1987, Eva and Martin gave up on the snow and moved to Beverly Hills, Florida, and retired to the Villages in 2000, a place they considered their own personal paradise.
While living in Florida, Eva and Martin became members of the German American Clubs of Beverly Hills and The Villages. Eva was an active participant within the clubs serving on the board of directors, membership secretary, the “Sunshine Lady,” and cooked 150 to 200 ponds of sauerkraut and German potato salad for the annual Oktoberfests in the area. Eva continued to enjoy bowling, bingo and playing cards with friends, dancing, and singing.
Eva found a magical group of sisters when she joined the Schatzies of the German American Club of The Villages. The ethnic dancing group of ladies brought amazing amounts of joy and cheerfulness to people while performing in the many parades put on by The Villages and were popular at the many German American Clubs throughout the area.
On Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, Eva was diagnosed with cancer of the brain and on Sept. 12, she went to sleep and ended up in Heaven.
Eva is survived by her husband of 57 years, Martin Grum; daughter, Cornelia Grum (Orben Loucks), Virginia; and grandsons, Wolfgang Clements, Virginia, and USMC LCpl Roland Clements, South Carolina; and sister, Ursula Andra, Celle Germany.
Eva was predeceased by her brother, Johannes Wilk and an infant boy.
A memorial gathering for Eva will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, Sept. 25, at the Inverness Chapel of Hooper Funeral Home, 501 W. Main St., Inverness, Florida.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or a charity of your choice.
