Eva Dyer

It is with profound sadness that we report the passing of Eva O. Dyer of Denver Colorado on August 23rd, 2022. Eva had battled breast cancer for many years, and it was a miracle she was able to survive as long as she did. She kept her good humor to the end, even knowing that the cancer would eventually triumph.

Eva was born in Bonn, Germany on October 17, 1948, the second of five children of Bernard Oxman and Edith Osicki Oxman. The family was stationed in Germany while Bernard served in the US Army and later worked for the US government. The family subsequently moved to Maryland where Eva attended grade school, and later to a large farm near Fredericksburg, Virginia. She graduated from Mary Washington College and went on to complete two master’s degrees and a PhD in psychology.

After college graduation, Eva got a job teaching English in Wiesbaden Germany to dependents of the US military stationed there. She was able to do a great deal of traveling around Europe and met her life partner of 50 years, Robert Dyer. Their daughter, Alexandra Dyer, was born in 1985.

Eva’s interests were many and varied.

She loved the outdoors. She took several mountaineering trips, scaling such mountains as Aconcagua, Cotopaxi, Ama Dablam, Cho Oyu, and Denali. Later, in 2012, she summited Kilimanjaro with her daughter Alexandra. On most of her mountaineering trips, she was the only woman among several men. But she was able to hold up her end and surpass most of the men with her strength and determination. She also enjoyed rock climbing and ice climbing.

She loved flowers and gardening. She was a long-time member of the Denver Botanical Gardens and planted and grew a home garden every year. She loved taking long jogs and walks around the local park and neighborhood, often accompanied by Sadie, her faithful Labrador.

She was a knowledgeable and avid collector of antiques and particularly Christmas tree ornaments and antique dolls. Her home is a testament to her love of classic architecture and woodwork. She established a successful internet business to sell many kinds of collectables, including ornaments and dolls.

Eva was a gifted painter. Although she had few lessons, her art was quite remarkable and never failed to impress visitors to her house.

She had an abiding interest in psychology and was licensed in Marriage and Family Counseling. She worked with many families over the years and got great satisfaction when she was able to provide help. She also worked as a High School school psychologist for several years. She established an adult learning disabilities program at Metropolitan State College. This program was so successful that she was hired by the Air Force Academy to advise them on setting up a similar program.

Toward the end of her life, she became interested in politics and was an active supporter of Evan McMullin and Amy Klobuchar.

Eva was a kind, generous, curious, and interesting person. She was always willing to help out when requested. She had strong views on matters such as politics and was willing to back up those views with hard work.

We will miss her immensely.

A memorial service has been planned for next spring (when the flowers are blooming) at the Denver Botanical Gardens.