Eileen Jewel Sage

Eileen Jewel Sage, 92, of Union, died June 7 at her home. A memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. July 28 at Union United Methodist Church.

Eileen called Union home for nearly 40 years.

Eileen was born April 27, 1919, to John and Isabelle (Ellison) Alkire in Firestone, Colo. She was raised on farms in Frederick, Colo. From the age of 8, she was raised by her father and she helped raise her siblings. At 15, she worked on a dairy, then became a nanny and had the opportunity to travel to foreign countries with the families she cared for.

Eileen attended school in Evans, Colo., and was a runner on the track team. She met and married the love of her life, Wesley Eugene Sage, on April 9, 1938, in the Methodist church at Leadville. He was a miner in Climax, Colo. They moved to Union to escape mining for her husband's health. He died in an accident in 1980. In later years, she worked as a school cook and loved to bake.

Eileen was known as a "busy lady" who kept herself young. She attributed her long life to running and dancing.

She was a long-time member of the Umbrella Ladies, The Southern Dixie Belles and The Can-Can Girls, groups of women in their 60s to 80s that performed high-kicking dance routines. She enjoyed square dancing, and was the last surviving member of a singing group called The Three M's.

Eileen was a speed walker and enjoyed that sport into her 80s. She was an avid reader. She was a member of and volunteered at the Union Methodist Church and Union County Museum. Eileen was also an endowment contributor to the Union Medical Clinic. She was a member of the Optimists, PTA and any organization that involved her sons.

She was an avid gardener and was well known for the fruit she grew and sold in Union. She loved sports, from football to basketball to golfing. Eileen was determined to stay in her home and did so with the help of her longtime friend and caregiver, Geneva Williams.

Eileen is survived by her two sons, Norman Sage of Denver and Douglas Sage of Richland, Wash.; one sister, Colleen, and her spouse, Kenneth Gebbie of Dexter, Iowa; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Wes; her parents; siblings, John Alkire, Eloise Ellis and Vivian Zeimer; granddaughter, Deborah Kay Sage; and great-grandson, Jason Sage.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Union United Methodist Church.

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