Eunice Mae Pangburn
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Eunice Mae (Hansen) Pangburn passed away at her daughter’s home in Spokane Valley on July 26th with her family around her. Eunice was born in Austin, MN, on May 9, 1941 to Thorvald and Alvera Hansen. She was the middle child. She was raised on the family farm south of Otranto, IA. She attended school in Carpenter, IA.
She married Dean Johnson in December 1960. Together they had three children – Laurie, Kristy, and Darrell – on their farm in Otranto. When the house started to fall apart, they moved up their driveway to a house "in town." That house had a swimming pool, so there were always nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and friends over for pool parties. Eunice moved to Northwood for a brief time to be closer to her work (Carroll George) and daughter Laurie after her divorce. That is where she met Bill Pangburn; they were married on July 15, 1989. They moved back to the house in Otranto where more memories were made.
She retired at 62 and was diagnosed with MS. Her doctor told her he had good news and bad news. The bad news was she had MS and the good news was at her age she shouldn't see a lot of side effects. It didn't slow her down. Bill and Eunice went on many adventures together. Bill passed away in January 2009, and she continued to live in Otranto.
She would go out to her daughter Kristy's in Anaheim, CA, for a month or so in January each year to escape the Iowa winters. When Kristy and her family moved up to Spokane Valley, WA, Eunice wasn't impressed with the January weather there. She started coming up in spring. This is when her grandson Zach played soccer. Zach would call her after every game when she had gone back to Iowa. She told him she missed watching him play, so he said, "Why don't you just move here?" The wheels were put in motion, and she moved in with Kristy and her family in the summer of 2011. Zach and Grandma had a wonderful relationship to the end. Darrell lives in Portland, OR, so he was able to come visit quite a bit, too.
In 2013, Eunice moved into Holman Gardens Retirement Home. She called that home for 13 years. She loved all the friends she made while living there and a bonus was Kristy works there, so she got to see her daughter every day, and her grand-furbaby Louie would get to stay with her during the day.
She is survived by her brother Larry (Nyla) and sister Clarice; her children Laurie (Kevin) Springer, Kristy (Chuck) Howrey, and Darrell Johnson; her grandchildren Nathan (Paula) Lowe, Jacob (Talyn) Springer, Morgan Springer, Kylee (Jessy) Linderman, Joshua (Audra) Howrey, Zach Howrey, and Aubrey Johnson; her three great-grandkids Hudson, Masen, and Stetson; and several nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will be scheduled back in Iowa next May. Memorials can be sent to the place she called home: Holman Gardens at 12912 E. 12th Ave., Spokane Valley, WA 99216.
