Eva Denali Will was born in Woodland, Calif., and died May 25. She lived in Davis, Calif., with her parents and sister until May of 1999. The family lived in Village Homes, an innovative community with solar homes in a context of community agriculture.
In the summer of 1999, the family resettled in Carbondale. Eva attended the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork through eighth grade, and then attended the Colorado Rocky Mountain School for three years and was on the honor roll each year. She spent her last of high school at Glenwood High where she graduated with honors. More recently, Eva attended both Chapman University in Orange, Calif., as well as Colorado State University.
Eva had many gifts and talents. As a young child, she was passionate about her small animals, and kept her beloved Katie,Ratty, and Gracie near her. She authored her first “book” while in grade school, and continued to excel at creative writing throughout. She had lately been sharing her writing under a nom de plume of Maple Mathers at http://hellopoetry.com/Maples/. She was in several theater productions as an early teen. Later she found a love of sewing, designing her own line of clothes she marketed under the name Hide-N-sheek, “a company run by one Owner, Designer, Creator, and Model.” See facebook.com/hideNsheek. She was working on a psychology degree.
Eva’s passion could be quite fierce, but was also absolutely beautiful in a profoundly wild way. Eva had a special way of seeing the world that manifested itself in her writing and artwork. Sadly for her friends and family, she was not able to complete the journey from child to woman. Eva was daunted by forces in the world and in her mind that stirred fury and dismay of dreadful proportions. In some senses, we all share this painful journey; our inner child must face incorrigible issues that strike deeply at our innocence. For Eva, the transition to adulthood proved impossible. She will be greatly missed by many, in both Colorado and California.
Eva is survived by her mother, Gretchen Hofmann, who owns and runs Gretchen’s Gardenscapes, and teaches for the Aspen Skiing Co., by her father Dale Will who is the Director of the Pitkin County Open Space Program, by her sister Whitney Ingrid Will, who currently manages the Roaring Gardens TCI Lane Ranch Organic greenhouse and gardens in Carbondale, providing year round vegetables, flowers, and CSA program, her younger brother Forrest Hayden Rosenbloom-Will, who attends the Waldorf School and loves skiing and soccer, and by her loving grandparents Jack and Molly Hofmann of Belvedere, California, and Darel and Harriet Will of Denver.
There will be a gathering to share stories, feelings, and love at 3 p.m., Sunday, June 12 at the Waldorf School of the Roaring Fork. Everyone is welcome. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in Eva’s name to either the Aspen Hope Center (970.925.5858) or the Waldorf School’s Annual Fund.
