Geneva Cheves

Passed away quietly at Cottage Hospital following stroke complications. She was 87 and leaves behind a son, oldest sister and youngest brother. The fourth of six children, she was raised in rural New Mexico and longed for a bigger life than her upbringing. At 17 she left home to live with an uncle and aunt in Riverside while attending Redlands University. Graduating with a BA in finance, she started her career as a buyer for Bullocks department store. Succumbing to wander lust, she left her position at Bullocks and joined government service as a buyer for the Army Post Exchange (PX) in Baumholder, Germany during the occupation. There she met and married the captain of the medical corps and returned to Denver to begin a family. They moved to Santa Barbara in 1955, where she served as secretary to launch her husband's medical practice and raise their son Roswell and daughter Roxanne. She lost her husband to cancer in 1975 and her daughter to heart disease in 2010. Rising from a modest background and adopting conservative values, she believed no one in our great country was disadvantaged, but a great many lacking sufficient education are less advantaged. She was appreciated for her erudition, compassion and wit. She contributed to many educational foundations and gave her personal time to local charities including the Women's Medical Auxiliary, Children's Home Society and Transition House serving in various capacities over five decades. Services will be held 12:30 Tuesday at McDermott-Crocket Mortuary followed by a graveside ceremony at Santa Barbara Cemetary. In lieu of flowers, contributions are encouraged to Braille, Alpha School, Yale, Redlands and private institutions of higher learning.