EITEN, Gary 1958-2006

EITEN, YONKER

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 2/23/2014 at 14:35:27

Gary Dean Eiten, of New South Wales, Sidney, Australia, died on Thursday, October 5, 2006. Graveside inurnment services will be 11:00 a.m., Saturday, November 11, 2006, at the First Christian Reformed Church Cemetery, rural Wellsburg, Iowa, with Pastor Tom Vos officiating. Luncheon and fellowship with the family will be held at the church fellowship hall, following the graveside service.

Gary Dean Eiten was born May 15, 1958, in Kent County, Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Harold and Julene (Yonker) Eiten. He attended Cutlerville Christian School before moving with his family to Pella, Iowa, during the summer of 1969. In 1973, the family moved to Steamboat Rock, Iowa, where he completed high school before graduating from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, with a B.A. in Dramatic Arts in 1980.

He was trained and licensed as a massage therapist in Los Angeles and continued that work after moving to Sidney, Australia. He had work experiences as a cook and waiter in Germany and Australia and also taught conversational English in Japan and Hawaii. Gary resided in Sidney, Australia since the spring of 2004 and was completing requirements for permanent residency there at the time of his death.

He is survived by his parents Harold and Julene Eiten of Grand Rapids, Michigan (former residents of Steamboat Rock, Iowa); brothers Dan Eiten and his wife Mary of Denison, Iowa; Keith Eiten and his wife Pam of Wheaton, Illinois; Jonathan Eiten and his wife Julia of Portland, Maine; sisters Leisha Eiten of Omaha, Nebraska; Beth Miller and her husband Greg of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

He was greatly loved by his family and by his seven nephews and five nieces. Many friends also grieve his passing.

--Abels Funeral Homes (www.abelsfuneralhomes.com)