Obituary of Eileen Lee Stanton

  Eileen always said, “In my next life I am going to be a bird, so I don’t have to carry a purse!”. On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, Eileen Stanton, 98, of Caldwell, ID., put down her purse and took to the Heavens as a most beautiful and beloved bird, just as she’d hoped.

  Eileen Lee (Combs) Stanton was born to Frank and Kathleen (Lee) Combs on March 27, 1924, in Scio, Oregon, the third of four daughters born to the family. Eileen and all three of her sisters, Lois Kathleen, Mary Ellen and Betty Grace were born in different years but all in the month of March….by some stroke of good luck, good planning, or happenstance, who knows?!

  The family moved to Walnut, CA. and Eileen grew up in a couple of different homes, eventually settling into a house that was already constructed and moved onto the “Lee Ranch Property”, which belonged to her maternal grandparents.  She attended Lemon School, a grammar school for grades one through eight. In high school, Eileen registered for college prep courses but discovered that algebra was not as easy as she had anticipated and switched to business and office prep courses. She was the editor of her high school paper and enjoyed writing; a skill that Eileen eloquently carried throughout her life. She wrote with vivid description and never sent a greeting card of any kind that was not well thought out and appropriately sentimental for the occasion.  

  Upon graduation, Eileen went to work as a bookkeeper’s assistant and she took a job with La Puente Walnut Growers Assn., working in the packing house office during the end of walnut growing season. There she met the love of her life, Kenneth Stanton. They dated into that fall and Ken proposed to her. She immediately said yes. A short engagement ensued due to waiting to hear about Ken’s military enlistment orders and they were married on January 10, 1943. Eileen and Ken often joked that they met in the “nut house” quite literally! They honeymooned in Ensenada, Mexico and shortly thereafter Ken left on the train for Los Angeles for boot camp. Ken’s next military venture was to go to radio school at Scott Field, near Belleville, IL. He wrote and asked Eileen to join him and she traveled by train to be with him. Upon completion of radio school, Ken’s orders were to go to McDill Field in Tampa, Florida. Eileen moved back home with her family for a time and then Ken came back to get her, and they moved into a small apartment in St. Petersburg. They enjoyed the many beaches of Florida together and Eileen took a job as a clerk at a local store. On October 23, 1943, they welcomed their first daughter, Karen, into their family. When she was three months old Ken received word that he would be discharged at Fort Mac Arthur, CA. and they were able to move back home to civilian life in Puente, CA. On July 29, 1948, their second daughter, Lynn, was born on the same day as her Grandpa Combs. Ken and Eileen built their first home and three years later they welcomed a baby boy, William, or Bill as he is called by our family. They enjoyed raising their family and were extremely proud of their children and their active lifestyles. Ken and Eileen continued to live in California, where they started a landscaping business together. Upon retirement, they took to traveling with friends and taking their children, their spouses, and grandchildren on vacations to Mexico and on a cruise. They adored any chance they had to babysit and spend time with their grandchildren.

  Eileen and Ken moved to Caldwell in 2002 and Ken passed away in 2003. Eileen stayed in their home taking care of everything but her yard. In 2019 she moved to Grace Assisted living for 11 months and made many friends in her time there. Following the outbreak of Covid-19, Eileen moved in with her daughter, Karen and her husband, Jim. Eileen left her earthly life with Karen and Bill by her side on a sunny summer morning, perfect for becoming a bird.

 Eileen enjoyed having the family over for dinners at her place and always had a puzzle ready for the family to enjoy. She also loved sports! She could sit and watch anything on T.V. but she especially loved baseball and football. She attended and weathered the sidelines of soccer, baseball and softball fields and adjusted her hearing aids in auditoriums for dance recitals, all to be a part of her great-grandchildren’s lives. She had quite the collection of flip flops as summer shoes and decorated her house with bunnies in various places but mostly, her kitchen. Her favorite color was green. She enjoyed trips to McCall to stay at the cabin with Karen and Jim and she was an avid reader. She was comforted by a warm fire on cold days, and she was ever ready to partake in watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren swim in Karen’s pool and never minded the occasional splash or the heat of a hot summers’ day. Her sunglasses were always fashionable, and she loved clothes from Christopher & Banks. Being a California girl, she advised that the sunset in Idaho was always late for the arrival of the evening. Eileen had unforgettable crystal blue eyes, which increasingly lit up as she smiled. Due to her strong faith, Eileen could make the best of any situation, finding the positive in even the poorest of circumstances. She was a P.E.O. Chapter member for many years and attended church at Caldwell United Methodist Church. Her children and grandchildren were her greatest joy in life.

  Eileen is survived by her children, Karen (Jim) McCulloch of Caldwell, ID., Lynn Stanton of San Jose, CA. and Bill (Diane) Stanton of Henderson, NV. She leaves behind seven grandchildren, Daniel Morago of San Francisco, CA, Marc (Tracy) Smith of Meridian, ID, Jamey (Erin) Smith of Caldwell, Tracy (Alex) Stromberg of New York, NY, Whitney (Richard) Patapoff of Chicago, IL., Jillian (Eric) Garlington of Flagstaff, AZ and Tony Stanton of Plaza, ND and fifteen great grandchildren. She is proceeded in death by her parents; her loving husband, Kenneth Stanton; her sisters, Lois Kathleen, Mary Ellen and Betty Grace; two of her beloved grandsons, Nicolas Morago and Jeffrey Smith and infant great granddaughter, Olivia Stanton.

Eileen’s celebration of life will be held on Sunday, August 7, 2022, at 12:30pm on the lawn of the P.E.O. Chapter House located at 114 E. Logan Street in Caldwell. A luncheon will be held following the service. In honor of Eileen’s bright and cheery personality, please dress casually and in the colors of the seasons she loved most spring and summer. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name, to the P.E.O. Chapter House in Caldwell.

  The family wishes to thank Vanessa, Donna and Sandy from All Care Hospice, for their kind and loving care to Eileen and our family. Also, special thanks to Jonathan Yearsley of Flahiff Funeral Chapel for his kind attention to Eileen both in her life and after her parting. Karen and Jim, there is no greater love than being a caretaker. Thank you for your tenderness in caring for Grandma Stanton.

  “All our yesterdays are summarized in our now, and all our tomorrows are ours to shape.” -Borland