Eva Mary (Gilblair) Adams Obituary (1959 - 2015)

Fairfield Center, ME, Maine-Eva Mary (Gilblair) Adams, 56 years young, unexpectedly passed away at her home from a cardiac event on November 11, 2015. Eva was born July 16, 1959 to Roland G. and Priscilla (Brooks) Gilblair at Fairview Hospital in Skowhegan, ME at 4:56am. She was 19 inches long and 8 pounds, 7.5 ounces. Eva lived in Skowhegan, ME until a move to Fairfield, ME around the age of 5, which became her permanent hometown. She graduated from Lawrence High School in 1977 and shortly thereafter began dating her future husband whom she met while talking on the CB radio. In 1978 “Little Lilac” married “Sagittarius”, John “Jack” Elwin Adams, of Palermo, ME. In January of 1982 Jack and Eva welcomed their first baby into the world and named her Jennifer Mae. In July of 1986 they welcomed their second and last baby, Julie Marie. Eva loved children and it was never uncommon for neighborhood kids to be visiting at any given hour. Jack and Eva were very involved in their daughters’ lives and thought of many of their schoolmates and friends as “adopted” daughters and sons. Eva taught her children to be kind and caring toward everyone and to always look for the good in others, which also included Jack and Eva participating in the Fresh Air Fund, hosting underprivileged youth from New York City during the summer months. After graduating from high school, Eva was employed by Betty Owens at the Gables Boarding Home in Vassalboro, ME and then went on to be employed by Mickey Marden at his College Avenue store, Marden’s. While pregnant with her first child Jennifer, Eva elected to take on the full time job of being a mother. She spent quality time with both of her girls and read to them every day. When her younger daughter Julie reached kindergarten, Eva became an assistant at Valerie Martin’s nursery school and daycare, the Martin’s Nest. During her nine years there, she befriended not only Valerie and her husband Alan, but also many of the children’s parents. Eva enjoyed watching the children flourish and grow into young adults, long after her employment came to an end. Eva went on to apply for a food service position with Sodexo at Colby College and worked in Dana Dining Hall for close to fifteen years. While Eva certainly could have explored other opportunities over the years, her source of enjoyment came from the countless Colby students, faculty and dining hall coworkers she interacted with daily. It was not unusual for Eva to memorize not only the names of the students who went through her deli line, but she also learned where they were from, their likes and dislikes and their dietary preferences and restrictions. Eva was, in many ways, like a second mom to some of the students. She never tired from sharing stories about them with her family and friends. She was especially honored when a Colby student asked her to wear his jersey at a recent football game, despite her not being an avid sports fan. Although Eva earned various awards of appreciation throughout her time at Sodexo, she preferred to remain out of the spotlight. Although she was described by those who knew her as shy and reserved, she took pride in attending town meetings, learning about the town’s history, and keeping up with local and statewide news. Eva would frequently offer rides to her coworkers and anonymously supplied self-care items to those in need. Eva and her husband Jack were life partners and complimented one another well. Eva proudly planned and conducted a party for Jack upon his retirement from the Fairfield Fire Department. They took a road trip to Ohio and stopped along the way to surprise many friends. Her hobbies and interests included reading (Stephen King and Nicholas Sparks were her favorite authors), Elvis Presley, drinking Lipton tea, being creative, and anything Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer related. Eva was predeceased by her father, Roland Gilblair, and her beloved grand-dog Kiki. Eva is survived by her mother, Priscilla (Brooks) Gilblair of Fairfield, Maine; her loving husband of 37 years, John “Jack” Adams of Fairfield, Maine; her daughter, Jennifer Adams and husband, Robert Harville of Scarborough, Maine; her daughter Julie Adams of Farmingdale, Maine; her mother-in-law, Elsie Adams of Palermo, Maine; her brother-in-law, Ronald Adams and his wife Patricia of Houston, Texas; her sister-in-law, Caroline Caswell of Palermo, Maine; several nieces and nephews; and her grand-dogs Remmy and Sadie. Eva is also survived by many special friends and her “kids” from Colby. Visiting hours will take place Saturday, November 21 from 2:00-4:00pm and 6:00-8:00pm at Lawry Brothers Funeral Home, 107 Main Street, Fairfield, ME. A Celebration of Life service will take place in Ostrove Auditorium at the Diamond Building at Colby College in Waterville, ME on Saturday, December 5 at 3:00pm. Attendees are encouraged to bring a special memory of Eva to share. Burial will take place with immediate family at a later date in the Maine Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery on Mt. Vernon Road in Augusta, ME. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Eva M. Adams Pay it Forward Fund, sent to 9 Saratoga Lane, Scarborough, Maine 04074. In keeping with Eva’s selfless and compassionate nature, the family intends to use any funds collected to carry out small acts of kindness for those in need.