Eunice Lovejoy

Eunice Gene Gowl Lovejoy, age 100, died September 2, 2024 at Alta Vista Retirement Care Facility in Prescott, AZ. She was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, April 18, 1924, to Edward and Nora Gowl, and grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. She graduated from Marion Junior College, Madison College (now James Madison University), and the School of Library Science at the University of North Carolina. Her career was spent as a librarian in public, academic, and special libraries in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Ohio. In 1984 she received the Exceptional Service Award, and in 1992 the Francis Joseph Campbell Award, both from the American Library Association for her work in the area of library service to older people and people with disabilities.

Mrs. Lovejoy moved to Prescott in 1988 when her husband Albert retired from teaching sociology at Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio. After coming to Prescott she took courses at Yavapai Community College in art, geology, botany, and biology. She was active in the local chapter of the Archaeology Society, the Prescott Audubon Society, the Prescott Art Docents, the Prescott Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and the Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation. She was instrumental in founding the Books on Wheels program at the Prescott Public Library in 1990. Eunice enjoyed photography, hiking, tent camping and travel, writing about these experiences for her family, collecting and identifying wild flowers, and maintaining an herbarium.

Mrs. Lovejoy was predeceased by her husband, Albert E. Lovejoy, who died in March of 2009 after 62 years of marriage. She is survived by her three sons and their families: Ed and Susan Lovejoy of Tucson, AZ, and Ed's daughter, Elisa and family of Madison, WI.; David Lovejoy and Amparo Rifá of Prescott, AZ; Stephen Lovejoy of Prescott, AZ and his daughter, Adrea and family of Bend, OR. She has always been very proud of her husband, her sons and their families.

There will be a "Celebration of Life" service at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Prescott, AZ. Date and time to be announced. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial gifts be made to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, 130 Prospect Ave., Cambridge, MA 02128-1813 or the Arizona Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, P.O. Box 44195, Tucson, AZ 85733-4195.