Nina Mae (Eckard) Gilpin

Nina Mae Eckard was born Oct. 26, 1935, to Ernest Welford Eckard and Bertha Mae (Ford) Eckard in Alamosa, CO. She passed peacefully into the awaiting arms of her Savior Oct. 31, 2020, at the age of 85 at the Community Springs Healthcare Facility. Nina married Percy Howard (Shorty) Gilpin on Nov. 20, 1953. To this union two daughters were born, Janolyn Mae and Jacquelyn Kay.

Nina’s family moved often, but she loved their primary home outside of Alamosa, CO, that they called “The Homestead.” She especially loved the views of her favorite mountain, Mt. Blanca, and the sunsets over the San Juan Mountain Range. She moved with her parents to El Dorado Springs her junior and senior years of high school, and she graduated there.

She married the love of her life after high school. They resided in or near El Dorado Springs their entire married life of nearly 67 years. During her senior year of high school, she worked at Ben Franklin Variety Store in downtown El Dorado Springs. After graduating from high school, she was employed at the International Shoe Company for eight years, then she worked at Nevada State Hospital for 30 years. Twenty-five of those years were in the Superintendent’s Office where she worked as an Administrative Assistant. After retirement, she worked part-time for 10 years at Cedar County Memorial Hospital as an Administrative Assistant to the Hospital Administrator. She was a member of the CCMH Auxiliary for 15 years.

Howard and Nina were faithful members of the Church of God (Holiness) since 1952 and were willing workers wherever needed. Nina taught Sunday School for 20 years and then worked as Sunday School Secretary for many years.

Nina’s priorities in life were her love of God, her husband, daughters, and grandchildren. She modeled what it is to be a godly woman. She was a hard worker with a strong work ethic. Some of her favorite activities were attending almost all her grandsons’ sporting and school events, spending time with extended family, and traveling with family and friends. She spent time daily reading her Bible and praying.

Nina was preceded in death by her parents; two sisters, Lucille and Wayne Harrison and Maxine and Harold Shull; two brothers, Virgil and Violet Eckard and Welford and Dorothy Eckard; her father and mother-in-law, Clyde and Jessie Gilpin; and other family members, Anita Leverich, Marie and Lendon Cochran, Alice and Arthur Nikodim, Marion Gilpin, Wesley (Jim) Gilpin, and Raymond Beydler.

She is survived by her husband, Howard; her daughters and their husbands: Janolyn and Gary McCandless and Jacquelyn and Curtis Dudley; two grandsons, Matthew (Cassie) McCandless and Nathan Dudley; and one great-grandchild, Wyatt McCandless. Other family members include grandchildren Brian (Lea) McCandless, Ronnie (Mark) Owens; and great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren Bethany (Philip), Tyler, Blayne, Britny, Brendyn, Rylan, Indie, Cameron, and Calli. She is also survived by Virginia Beydler, Rita Gilpin, and many nieces and nephews whom she dearly loved.

Services for Nina Gilpin will be held at the El Dorado Springs Church of God (Holiness) at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, with Rev. Joe Trussell and Rev. Brent Bland officiating. Visitation will be held at the church 10-11 a.m. Interment will follow in the Clintonville Cemetery under direction of Bland-Hackleman Funeral home.

Pallbearers will be: Matthew McCandless, Nathan Dudley, Curt Dudley, Rick Coale, Zande Eckard, and Danny Eckard.

Honorary Pallbearers will be: Gary McCandless, Dale Brown, Lonnie Gilpin, Donnie Nikodim, Brian McCandless, Mark Owen, and Tom Cain

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the El Dorado Christian School and left with the funeral home.

Online condolences may be left at: www.blandhackleman.com.