Eva Christine Czapla

Eva Czapla, 94, of Charlotte, NC passed away on Monday, March 6, 2017. She was the daughter of the late Maria and Paul Eckhardt. She was born in Hindenburg , Germany on December 24, 1922. In her late teens, she studied and worked as a nurse in Germany. During the latter stages of the war, she was transferred to the German Red Cross to serve in military hospitals. In 1944, she was captured by the British in Italy and served a short time as a prisoner of war. In 1952, she emigrated from Germany to Canada and subsequently met her future husband, Mychajlo , where she married and had her first son. Finally, in 1954 they were given approval to immigrate to the US where they settled in Vailsburg (Newark) , New Jersey . There they raised two sons and a daughter. She continued her nursing profession until the early 90's when she retired from her position as nursing supervisor at East Orange Nursing Home, East Orange, New Jersey. Eva and her husband moved to Charlotte in 2006 to be closer to her daughter and family. She will be remembered for her incredible strength and perseverance and life"s lessons and values that she taught her children and grandchildren. Nothing was more important to her than family. Eva was fortunate to remain active and independent just prior to her death. She enjoyed the beauty of nature, her many friendships, attending St Gabriel's exercise class every Tuesday, and preparing traditional Eastern European meals for family and friends. She found great pleasure and purpose in caring for her husband, especially playing Rummicub together, frequent gatherings with her daughter and son- in law, visits from her son and family from N.J. and lastly, staying closely connected to her five devoted grandchildren. Eva was preceded in death by her son, Ihor (Ike) Czapla. She is survived by her husband, Mychajlo Czapla of home, son, Stefan Czapla and wife Joan of Landing, N.J., daughter Rosemary Nansen and husband, Kurt of Charlotte NC, and her five grandchildren, Eva Nansen, Erika Nansen, Christopher Czapla, Elena Nansen and Timothy Czapla. A memorial service will be held Friday March 10, 2017 at 10:30 at St. Gabriel Catholic Church Chapel on Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC with Father Frank O'Rourke officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Friends of hcsp.weebly.com . Friends of Grandfather Mtn. 3/10/2017 10:30 AM Memorial St. Gabriel Catholic Church Chapel 3016 Providence Road Charlotte NC 28211