Eva Mary Story, 94, of Grinnell and formerly of Malcom, passed away at St. Francis Manor on Monday, June 17, 2024, surrounded by her daughters.

A funeral service will be held at 10:00 am, Saturday, June 22, 2024, at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell. Interment will be at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Malcom. A luncheon will follow at the Malcom American Legion Davis-Story Post 733, in Malcom.

The family will receive friends prior to the service beginning at 9:00 am at the Smith Funeral Home.

Memorials may be directed to Grinnell Hospice or the Malcom United Methodist Church and mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home and Crematory, PO Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared with Eva's family online at www.smithfh.com.

Eva was born to Peter and Katherina (Huck) Schafer on February 8, 1930. She was born and raised in Glen Ullin, ND. On July 23, 1948, she married the love of her life, Earl Benjamin Story, Jr., in Iowa City, IA. Eva and Earl were blessed with six daughters: Tru Ann, Donna, June, Robin, Angela and Alison. She also had a stepson, Phillip Dean, from Earl's first marriage.

Eva was employed as a custodian at Grinnell College and after her retirement there, she worked as a greeter at Walmart in Grinnell. In her earlier years she also worked as a dishwasher, waitress, cook, housekeeper, babysitter, and laundress. Eva was a hard worker and instilled those qualities in her daughters (or she tried to!). She was a great friend to many and a substitute mom to several and she loved them like her own. In 2004 Earl and Eva sold their home in Malcom and moved to Grinnell where they resided with their daughter Robin and son-in-law Steve. Eva was a member of the Malcom United Methodist Church and enjoyed doing her daily devotionals, word find puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, crocheting, sewing, dice games, and spending time with her family and friends and spoiling her furry-four-legged grandson, Earl. Eva especially loved her grandkids, and they will miss her dearly.

Eva is survived by her daughters, Donna Story of Gardner, KS; June (Gregory) Golden of Tucson, AZ; Robin (Steve) Pollock of Grinnell, IA; Angela Story (Jon Balm) of Brooklyn, IA; and Alison (Jerome) Jacoby of Waterloo, IA; eighteen grandchildren, and 35 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Peter and Katherina; her husband, Earl, her daughter, Tru Ann, her grandson, Benjamin Earl Whisenand; her great-grandson, Lennox Weitnauer; her grandson Daniel Balm; her brothers Franz, Jerome (Harry), Alexander, Joseph, George, Edward; her sisters, Rosemary Palmer, Mary Sims, Matilda (Tillie) Fullterton, and Loretta Schantz; and daughter-in-law, Gigi Myers.