Eunice Vesta Dunn

Eunice Vesta Roy was born to William Sherman Roy and Matilda Compton Roy, November 8, 1908, at Perkins, OK, the youngest of six children. Eunice is of English ancestry. In 1868 her Compton grandparents came over from England to find their place in the New World. Just before the ship was to dock in Quebeck, Canada, her mother, Matilda, was born. Since the ship was stopping only lon enough for the passengers to disembark, there was some anxiety as to whether the new mother should be moved. In those days a woman was kept in bed a week after childbirth. But the jovial Captain reassured the young parents, ?Don?t you worry?this ship won?t move until this little lady is able to get off!? Eunice was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist church at Winfield, KS campmeeting when she was 11 years old, and has been an active Christian ever since. When she was 12, the Roy family moved to Ketchum, OK so that the children might attend a church school. After finishing eleven grades in Ketchum, Eunice was sent to Keene, TX to boarding school, where she was graduated from the Academy and attended Southwestern Junior College. That summer she married the sweetheart of her girlhood days, Maurice Dunn, of Ketchum, OK. In the fall, Maurice and Eunice were invited to teach in Little Rock, AR, and taught there for the next five years. Then they decided to return to Keene so that Eunice could finish college. Unfortunately, she became quite ill only six weeks before school ended and was unable to graduate. After Maurice had taught church school more than 40 years, in KS, OK, TX, and CO, he retired. A couple of days later he and Eunice and his mother were driving down the highway, when suddenly he accelerated the gasoline pedal, and the car gave a leap, he threw up his hands and yelled. The women grabbed one another in fright and asked what happened. ?I?m retired!? he shouted with glee. He was a dedicated, optimistic Christian with a personality that scattered gloom as the sun dissipates dark clouds. Someone remarked that the reason for Eunice?s good health and longevity was the fact she was happily married to Maurice Dunn 65 years and had laughed her way through life. It is Biblical: ?A merry heart does good like a medicine.? Eunice and Maurice had no children of their own, but through the years they kept young people needing a home to obtain a Christian education. At different times you?d find there a student in church school, or academy, even college. One college student later became a dentist. He never forgot their kindness. There were four, two girls and two boys, who stayed at length in their home. The Dunns settled in Ketchum for a while. But in 1990, they came to Summit Ridge and built a nice residence at 18363 Mockingbird Lane. They enjoyed only three years together here before Maurice?s untimely death just a week before their 65th wedding anniversary. The Dunns were great gardeners. Many will remember their prize vegetables they so generously shared with neighbors and friends?especially the sweet potatoes, some as large as a baby?s head?and the delicious strawberries. After Maurice?s death, Eunice continued the gardening tradition for several years. Visitors and residents alike at Summit Ridge have been cheered by the profusion of flowers that greeted the eye as they turned the corner by the Dunn residence. Eunice was talented artistically. God blessed her with the unique ability to gather delicate blossoms and skillfully press the tiny petals, and design beautiful greeting cards. These she sent out far and wide to cheer and comfort others. This ministry was a source of great happiness to her. So far as we know, Eunice coined this metaphor at the death of one of our saints, and it seems so appropriate for its author: ?A beautiful blossom in Summit Ridge?s flower garden has withered and died.? In her quiet, gentle way she went about exuding love, kindness and concern for others. We will miss her. But we anticipate being with her again in a Better Land. Our tribute to her is: ?She has fought a goo