Remembering Eva Herz
My name is Josh Herz, and I’m longtime villager Eva Herz’s younger brother.
One of the very few benefits of her not being here with me today is that I can get a word in edgewise. She was my big sister when we were growing up. Actually, I had three big sisters, but Eva was the one closest to my age. When I was born, she was already two years old.
My sisters and I all knew Eva differently. Just like we each had our own, separate relationships with each of our parents, we each had a different relationship with Eva. We all four went to public school, and when they finished high school, my two oldest sisters—older than Eva—each went off on their own. Eva wanted to copy her big sisters and go away, but she didn’t have the skills to live on her own. She worked in a sheltered workshop for some years, living at home, and learned to take the city bus to and from work. But she still depended on our parents to help her set up times to get together with friends. She wanted her independence badly.
After I also flew the coop, she was again reminded that her brother and sisters lived independently, and she wanted the same for herself. She would visit her sisters and me who all lived in different cities. She knew she was different from each of us and that she couldn’t do the same things we did, but she said she wanted to have her own life, away from her parents. They took wonderful care of her, but she wanted to be her own boss and make her own decisions. That coincided nicely with our parents’ own long-term goals: They wanted independence for Eva, not least to ensure a smoother transition for her when they were no longer around.
My mother was quite dedicated to Eva, and as an adult she pursued a master’s degree in social work, which she used to work with intellectually disabled adults. In fact, she worked at the same organization where Eva worked in her sheltered workshop. She read about Camphill Village and requested more information. She also visited a state institution in NY state, back in the days when those existed.
Eva spent some time at the state institution, but my folks were unhappy with the care provided. The caregivers were unskilled and, in some cases, even nasty, and Eva’s independent skills seemed to disappear. Our mother contacted Camphill Village, Eva visited with our parents, and she was invited to spend a three-week trial period here, back in 1974. She was one of 13 villagers at the time.
She loved that she had her own friends here and could independently walk to and from her workplace. She had multiple jobs, including helping with meal preparation, dish clean-up, and housekeeping—and she learned to do her own laundry. She could write home, call home when she wanted, and she had houseparents (that’s what we called them back then) here who could help with activities she needed help with. She had her own life, away from her parents, who not only wanted the best for her, but agreed with Eva that she needed to feel independent.
Eva was always aware of how she was different from her siblings at her original home, but Camphill Village Kimberton Hills allowed her to have her very own home amongst peers. After her trial stay, she was invited to move in. She loved mosaics, where she helped put together creative art projects. She loved her bell ringing job in the bell choir. She had always been musical, and she appreciated actively making music when she rang the bells. She went on Camphill Village vacations to the New Jersey shore, and even to India years ago.
She continued to visit each of us, and sometimes brought her Camphill Village friends along. Susie Newcomb visited us with Eva twice, and Claudia Swenk another time. Ina’s brother lived close to our sister in Boston, and Ina and Eva would travel together to Boston, with Ina’s brother driving one way, and Eva’s sister Sue driving the way back home to Kimberton. Eva was very proud of the CVKH cookies made at the bakery and would bring them as gifts. We all shared her enthusiasm for them.
Camphill Village Kimberton Hills offered Eva a home away from home. The dedication and patience of the coworkers always impressed us. Eva became attached to her Camphill friends, householders, and home. When our parents passed away in their nineties, Eva still had her very own place to which to return and find comfort. We remain very grateful.
Eva unexpectedly became suddenly sick two years ago and quickly passed away the next day. We three siblings were bedside with her at the hospital and all her Camphill friends stopped by, in turn, to say goodbye to her. We sang to her as she moved on, and she now resides just outside Rose Hall. She spent 49 years at Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, and more than 49 years ago, when she arrived, it quickly became her home.
Judy Meredith and Josh Herz