Grace Ewald

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our sweet mother, grandmother and
friend, Grace Leone Ewald.

Grace was born on April 26, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois. She was the youngest child born to
Gotthilf and Frieda Jass. She had an older sister, Arline, who despite a rather large age gap,
was very close to Grace all her life. She also had an older brother, Don. They lived in a suburb
of Chicago called Waukegan.

Grace graduated from Valparaiso University (Valpo) in Indiana and went on to attend a teaching
college where she befriended a couple named Carol and Ed. She eventually became Carol’s
roommate and stood up for her at her wedding. It was at this wedding, Grace would meet her
“husband to be”, William J. Ewald, who was Ed’s brother.

William and Grace began corresponding to each other. Grace was so taken with Bill that she
and a good girlfriend decided to move out to California from the Midwest to be near him. After
dating for a short time, she married William Ewald on November 25, 1960. They lived in
Manhattan Beach in a beach apartment.

Grace had her first child, Lara Michelle, while still living in the Manhattan Beach apartment.
Shortly after, the young family moved to their first house in Huntington Beach, California. Grace
and Bill had a total of four children between 1962 and 1969. The subsequent three children
were Marina Leonora, Karl Henry and Alaine Beth.

Grace was a stay-at-home Mom until the family moved up to the Sacramento area in 1976. She
worked various jobs at the middle schools including teacher’s aide, yard duty and librarian. She
very much enjoyed motherhood and being a librarian. She retired at age 62.

Grace had pretty much given up hope of ever being a grandmother, but at age 67, Lara gave
her a grandson, Lee William Moser. She started another phase of her life by taking a very
active role in caring for Lee. She and Lee were very close all the way up to her recent passing.
She also has two other grandchildren, Brooke and Sean from Alaine and a step grandson
Malachi from Karl’s marriage. All the grandchildren brought her great joy.

Grace had yet another wonderful phase in her life after discovering her church community at
Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Auburn. She loved the congregation and loved taking part in the
choir and helping with quilting and fundraising. This church fulfilled her spiritually and provided
her with many great friends.

Grace lost her husband Bill to cancer in 2021. It was a huge loss, but after she got her footing,
she rather enjoyed not having to answer to anyone for the first time in her adult life. She
flourished on her own and spent many hours reading, gardening and sewing.

In 2024, Grace fell in the garden she loved and broke her back. She was unable to sufficiently
recover to live independently after the fall. Her family was fortunate enough to have her in their
lives for nearly two more years. She did miss being active though and was at peace with her
recent passing.

Grace is survived by 4 children: Lara (Eric), Marina, Karl (Deb) and Alaine (Thomas) and 4
grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband, Bill, her parents and her siblings.

Grace was a deeply kind and thoughtful person who would give the shirt off her back to help
another person in need. She will be remembered in that light. She was loved by so many.

A celebration of her life will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Auburn, California at noon
on Thursday, February 12, 2026. A graveside internment will be held at Green Valley Cemetery
in Rescue, California on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 3 PM.