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Eiko (Fujii) Womble, 88

Eiko (Fujii) Womble, 88, of Hayden Lake, left this world on Nov. 6, 2019. She was born on Sept. 25, 1931, to Keizen Houchi and Koto Fujii, in Nagoya, Japan. In 1954 she met Ken, a Navy man at the time, at an officer’s party. They fell in love and were married for 61 years when Ken passed away in 2016; they had a wonderful life and marriage. Eiko has finally joined Ken. She always made him wait “about seven more minutes.”

The family would like to make a special dedication to all who cared for Eiko during these past years, both family and caretakers. The people who care for our parents when they can no longer care for themselves are special and deserve recognition.

Eiko loved children and young people. She was a stay-at-home mom and cared for her many grandchildren. Her nieces and nephews loved their little Aunt Eiko. She loved to cook special meals for family and friends. On any given weekend you would find college students from abroad camped at her house, enjoying dishes that she made for them. On occasion she would teach origami at our local schools and introduce children to the Japanese culture. Gardening was her passion and she was happiest working in her yard.

Ken and Eiko fell in love with the Coeur d’Alene area after one visit and moved there with their four young daughters in 1970. They eventually moved to their home in Hayden in 1975, and lived there until their passing. Ken and Eiko had many adventures while traveling all over the world and would often winter in South America.

Eiko is survived by daughters Pauline (John) Sanders of Rathdrum, Evie (Brian) Scrabeck of Hayden, Cathy (Mike) Manusia of Chino Hills, Calif., and Ruth Womble of Hayden. She loved all of her eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren dearly. She had a special place in her heart for her great-nephew Fumi Arakawa and his mother, Mitsi. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ken; her parents, who passed away when she was quite young; and all her siblings but one, her youngest sister, Takako. She will be greatly missed by those she left behind.

A celebration of Ken and Eiko’s life will be held in the spring of next year.