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Note: She was christened at St. Matthew's Church in Halifax in 1883 as Eva Lillias, but she later changed her middle name to Lillian. (However, in the official church records ot St. Matthews, it says she was born Sep. 23 1883 and christened Jan. 15 1884.) She was a lovely person and gave her grandchildren many wonderful memories. Her father died when she was only eight years old. She left Halifax in 1900 for Toronto. From Toronto she moved to Stratford to keep house for her sister Janie. She was the pianist at Knox Prexbyterian Church in Stratford, which is where she met her husband, Ernest, the superintendant of the Sunday School.
They were married at 2:00 in the afternoon on Sept. 3, 1913, at the home of sister Janie McCrimmon, 150 John St. in Stratford by Rev. R. Martin, pastor of Knox Presb. Church. The newspaper article says "the bride entered through an aisle of dainty white ribbons held by little Miss Margaret Smith of Atwood and Master Gordon McCrimmon, to the strains of Lohengrin's Wedding March. The bride looked charming in a gown of white brocaded satin trimmed with seed pearls, with a beautiful veil and orange blossoms. She carried roses and lilies of the valley... After the wedding repast and the congratulations of the many friends had been recieved, Mr. and Mrs. Smith left on their wedding trip to New York. On their return they will return to St. Vincent St., South. The bride is popular in a wide circle, while the groom is one of the city's best-known young businessman, being Secretary-Treasurer of the Whyte Packing Co. and closely identified with YMCA, Knox Church, and military activities."
They moved to Brockville in 1916 (?) and lived there until about 1927. While living in Brockville, they rented a cottage nearby called Hillcrest. They were often visisted by relatives at the cottage, such as Hilly and Fred. On Civic Holiday weekend, August 1931, Eva and Ernest held a MacLeod family gathering at their home in Stratford. The MacLeods present included Eva's older brother Will MacLeod with his wife Media and daughter Marion, from London; Janie MacLeod and her husband Jack McCrimmon, from Toronto; and widowed Annie MacLeod (late husband George Scovil), from Toronto. On Tuesday morning, Janie, Annie, and Jack set out for Toronto. At Brown's Line (Missassauga today), on the outskirts of Toronto, their vehicle was hit by a train, killing Janie and Annie, while Jack, the driver, survived. He was injured and felt terrible about the accident.
In 1966, she travelled with her daughter Dorothy to Nova Scotia. In Halifax, at St. Matthew's Church, they located Pew #48 which used to belong to the MacLeod family. They also went to the cemetery and found the plot of Angus and Euphemia and uncle Dick, beside the plots of their relatives, the Grahams, Sutherlands, and Munros. Her daughter Dorothy was surprised at how many things and people her mother remembered considering that she left Halifax in 1900.
She had a heart condition and spent only a few days in the hospital before she died. Her funeral was at St. John's United Church in Stratford.
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