Born in Whittier, CA on May 10, 1924, she graduated from Mariposa County High School in 1942. Known by most people as Juanita or “Nita”, she had a beautiful voice and loved music and singing, taking part in school plays, musicals and later singing in church choirs and learning to play the piano.
Juanita fell in love with Roy Eidson while in High School and they were married in Texas on March 20, 1944 while Roy was in training to be a pilot in the Army Air Corps.
Juanita loved to travel and when Roy was stationed in Germany after the war, she boarded a ship with their two young sons, Mike and Terry, to join her husband. While in Germany she was able to attend some sessions of the Nuremburg Trials. Besides Germany, Roy’s Air Force career took them to many places including Nebraska, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Virginia, and Hawaii. Juanita’s combined love of travel and family, led to several cross-country drives to help her daughters as they moved with their military husbands. Juanita and Roy toured the Holy Land and visited their daughters in Germany, reviving old memories. Juanita continued traveling after Roy’s death visiting family in Alaska and living in Nairobi, Kenya with Meri-Kay for several years.
While living in Hawaii in the late 60s, Roy and Juanita came to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Over the years their faith grew and they served him by being active in churches, bible studies, prison ministries and especially Gideons International. Juanita remained active in Gideons after Roy’s death.
After Roy’s retirement they moved from Virginia to Fresno CA to be closer to Juanita’s mother and their son Terry and his family. Juanita is survived by her brother Lloyd Harris of Cambria and three of her children, Terry Eidson of Clovis, Meri-Kay Katterson of NC, and Nina Gordon of HI. She is also survived by eleven grandchildren and 31 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 48 years, Roy, and her oldest son Mike Eidson of Sterling, VA.
A graveside service will be held at Fresno Memorial Gardens on Thursday March 24, 2022 at 11:00 am. Funeral services provided by Lisle Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to The Gideons International in memory of Juanita Eidson.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.lislefuneralhome.com for the Eidson family.
