Our dear mother EVA F. MENSINGER (nee Eva Florencia Reina Arriaga) age 100, peacefully passed on to the World Above while napping in the afternoon of Wednesday April 29th, 2026.

Eva led an interesting, adventurous life; having been born on her family’s coffee farm in rural San Marcos Guatemala. She was raised by an aunt for the first years of her life, as her young mother and twin brother did not survive childbirth. At age 4 she joined her father’s new family and new baby sister; Rosita. Throughout her childhood she lived with various friends and relatives during the school year, due to the remote location of her home. She attended the German School in Guatemala and later worked as a secretary for the Hospital Rosevelt in Guatemala City. Her dear boss and mentor Mr. McKinley encouraged her to learn English and emigrate to the USA.

In 1944 she attended a Catholic boarding school in Louisiana and later continued her studies in St. Paul, Minnesota. During this period, she was able to visit New York City where she saw the Rockettes at Radio City Hall! Eventually she moved to the San Francisco Bay area where she temporarily stayed with her dear cousin Al Echeveria and other extended family members. She was hired as a Bilingual Secretary for AAA Auto Insurance and later transferred to the Los Angeles area where she bought her first home in Gardena. She then met her future husband Helmut A. Mensinger, a recent immigrant from Germany. After the marriage Eva, Helmut and their 4 children lived in Trona, California for several years. The family vacationed in Oregon in the Summer of 1965, immediately fell in love with our beautiful State, and settled in Reedsport, Oregon.

Unfortunately, Helmut passed away in Nov. 1967, and Eva was left, a devastated young widow with 4 young children. She then decided to move to her native country of Guatemala to be by her dear father and other family members. For the next 12 years she moved her family back and forth between Reedsport, Oregon and Guatemala City. In the early seventies she was able to make a trip to Luxenberg and West-Germany to visit her father-in-law and other relatives. In later years she lived in Eugene, Springfield and Cottage Grove Oregon; Orlando, Florida, Southern California, Camas Washington and Austin, Texas, often with her youngest daughter Linda; but always returning to live in Oregon for extended periods.

Eva was a devoted mother and a generous person who donated to many charities throughout her life. She will be remembered for her strong faith in God, her resilient nature, optimistic personality, her warmth, generosity and her sense of humor which she maintained to her last days. “Evita” loved flowers, birds, trees and feeding the squirrels. She loved riding the LTD bus while she lived in Eugene; something she still did until only about 5 years ago. Aside from trips with her family, she enjoyed several outings with Experience Oregon. She made the best Christmas cookies, muffins and casseroles. She was always a modest, classy, stylish and elegant woman. She loved the USA and was proud to become a US Citizen so she could vote for President Reagan and later for President Trump! She was laid to rest in the Reedsport Masonic Cemetery as close to Helmut’s grave as was possible. She is greatly missed by her children: Richard, Rita, Bill & Linda, their spouses, her 10 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, her sister Rosita from Guatemala City and various nieces, nephews. cousins and friends spread around the country and around the globe!