Eunice Mae Quiring

Eunice M. Quiring 1944 - 2023 Eunice Mae (Reimer) Quiring was born on April 6, 1944, to John and Alvina Reimer, the youngest of eight children. She grew up in Orland, CA, a small town just west of Chico, and began school in the first grade. As a child, she had many chores on her family's farm and loved to play outside and sing to the chickens. Unfortunately, her childhood was marked by sadness as her mother died suddenly when she was just twelve. In her mother's absence, she learned to cook and prepare meals for the family. A year later, her father remarried a kind woman named Marie, whom Eunice came to love as a second mother. Eunice accepted Jesus as her Savior at a young age and loved to sing hymns at church. As a senior in high school, she caught the eye of a Fresno Pacific College student while he was on a choir tour at her church. She went on to attend FPC for two years and dated and eventually married her admirer, Phil, in 1964. They lived in Fresno for several years until the start of the Vietnam War. Their Mennonite faith led him to become a conscientious objector, and they moved to Detroit to complete his service. Phil and Eunice lived in Michigan for five years, and their first daughter was born there. Upon returning to California, they settled in the rural area between Kingsburg and Dinuba, and shortly after, their second daughter was born. In 1984 Eunice began working at Kings River Elementary School, first as a substitute teacher's aide and eventually assisting in the library. When the library position became her primary job, she took classes to become certified as a librarian. Eunice, or "Mrs. Quiring" as she was known at school, became a beloved figure on campus. She knew every student's name, birthday, and favorite book, and as the years went by, she frequently knew who her students' parents and older siblings were because they had been her students too. Before her sudden passing, she looked forward to working for one more year and retiring with 40 years of service at Kings River. Unfortunately, she had been suffering from a perforated ulcer that went untreated for several months while she cared for her ailing husband. Eunice is preceded in death by both parents, her stepmother, five siblings, and her husband Phil, who died just two weeks before her death. She is survived by two older brothers, Vern and Dan; three sisters-in-law, many beloved nieces and nephews; her daughter Jennifer, her husband Brandon and their children Andy, Abby, and CJ; and her daughter Marianne and her husband Greg and their children Ben and Maddie. She also leaves behind many Kings River Elementary students and former students who grew in their love of books and stories because of Mrs. Quiring's love.

Eunice Mae Quiring

April 6, 1944 - May 29, 2023