Eva (Martinussen) Van Hooser

Eva Van Hooser was born to Rachel (Evensen) and Rolf Martinussen on June 17, 1924 in Oslo, Norway.  She spent much of her childhood living with an old lady in Dvorak.  On April 9, 1940, Germany invaded Norway and Eva’s high school was converted to Nazi barracks.  At the age of 18, she was sent to a work camp in Poland and placed in solitary confinement on bread and water quite often for sharing her meager rations with the Jews who were starving and fenced in a separate section.  Always a stubborn person, she saved her bread to share after her confinement.  At some point, they realized they were confining a good worker for meager rations and gave up.  After an emergency appendectomy in Poland and a trip back to Norway for compassionate leave to visit family, she was sent on a train back to Poland.  A sympathetic Swede happened to sit next to her and convinced her to escape before the train completely stopped in Stockholm.  He gave her directions to a refugee center and she was able to attain employment as an au pair for a dentist and then as an aide in a retirement home in Vasteras, Sweden. 

Meanwhile, C. V. Criswell was stationed with the 8th Air Force as a crew member on B-17’s flying out of Deopham Green in England.  On June 21, 1944, his plane Big Noise II was hit by enemy fire and was able to crash land in Rinkaby, Sweden with all hands safe and during his internment in a neutral country, ended up in Vasteras also.  They met, dated and were married in the home of her parents on March 22, 1947 in Stabekk, Norway and moved to “Gobbler’s Knob” in Harper County.  Two children, Corrine and Michael were born and then they moved to Buffalo where Anita was born as the tail dragger.  Eva was employed for many years as the OSU Extension Secretary to Max Barth, her favorite boss.

On November 25, 1975, Eva and Eugene Van Hooser (whom she met at Corrine’s daughter’s baptism) were married in Huntsville, TX.  She enrolled in Sam Houston State University in 1977 with special permission from the Dean of Admission because she had no high school diploma and graduated summa cum laude in May 1986 with a BS degree in German with minors in Spanish and French.  During her college years she opened her home to fellow students and also taught language labs and translated Swedish letters for Donald V. Coers’ book about John Steinbeck winning the Nobel Prize for Literature.  Her degree inspired her daughters to finish their college degrees but Mike was having too much fun traveling around the world to Israel, Saudi Arabia, Greece, United Kingdom, Colombia and Venezuela.

Eva died on October 18, 2024.  She was predeceased by her parents Rolf and Rachel Martinussen, husbands C. V. Criswell and Eugene Van Hooser and son Michael Criswell.  She is survived by her brother Rolf Martinussen (Mona) of Ovenbakken, Norway; children Corrine Trimpe (Gary) of Preston, KS; Daughter-in-Law Kathy McGonigal Criswell of Buffalo, OK; Anita Criswell of Buffalo, OK; grandchildren Katie Todd of Wichita, KS; Rachel Criswell of Arlington, TX; Austin Criswell (Heather) of Gettysburg, PA; Sean McGonigal (Chelsey) of Buffalo, OK, Rachel Chisum (Clay Hickman) of Ft. Supply, OK; Alaric Bradt (Angela) of Williamsburg, MO; ten great grandchildren and many other relatives and friends.

She had an amazing life and her motto was, “Say a little prayer.”  Her faith sustained us all.