Eunice Banks
Eunice Banks, age 82, passed away quietly on Dec. 31, 2015, in Auburn, California. She was an author, artist, wife, and mother of three boys. Her husband of over 60 years, Lowell Banks, passed in May of 2015. In October of 2014, they gathered friends together to celebrate in their own words "60 years of driving each other crazy." It can only be assumed that after a short break they are now joined back together and back to "driving each other crazy." She was born Eunice Turner, daughter of Merle and Esther Turner, in Berkeley, California. She grew up in El Cerrito, California, with one older brother, Kenneth Turner, who passed in 2002. Eunice attended and graduated from El Cerrito High. She would later, after her three sons were of school age, receive her Associate of Arts from Diablo Valley College. It was at El Cerrito High that a tall, handsome young man who had recently emigrated from Canada came and sat in front of her in her French class. She fell in love with the back of his head and they would be "driving each other crazy" for the next six plus decades. She discovered very early on in life that her true love was art, and later on in school found a passion for writing. She would follow these passions throughout her entire life. Her artwork has been shown as far away as Beijing, China, where it was on display as part of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, and she is the author of "The Trouble with Tom," a novella about a rogue wild turkey in a senior community. Throughout her life she enjoyed traveling, a spirit that was not dampened by dragging three young boys across several continents. The family spent several years overseas when Lowell was working for ARAMCO in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. They returned as refugees, evacuated after the 6-day war between Israel and the Arab nations in 1967, and moved in with relatives in the Bay Area. Lowell spent another year in Saudi Arabia, rejoining the family in 1968. This was an important time for Eunice, reinforcing her own feminist feelings as she tried to make her way in the world when her husband was half a world away. The family settled in Moraga, California where their oldest son Bruce graduated from high school and shortly after joined the armed forces. Eunice, Lowell, and the remaining two boys, Steve and Gary, moved to Sierra City, in the summer of 1976. Eunice lived there with Lowell for over 25 years becoming an integral member of the community. In Sierra City she ran a store, Something Special, which became a bit of a hub for local artists and lovers of books. She also served with numerous community groups including the Arts Council and the local library. In 2003 Eunice and Lowell moved to Grass Valley and joined the community at Eskaton where they were both valued and beloved members of the community. Eunice is survived by her three sons and their families: Bruce who lives with his wife Debbie in Portola, California; Steve and his wife Kathy who live in Sacramento; and her third son Gary who also lives in Sacramento. She is also survived by her two grandchildren, James and Jessica. Private interment will be in Sierra City. Any donations in her memory can be made to local women's shelters or animal shelters.