A daughter of Idaho, Pat Boeck Eames 

was also an engaged citizen of the world. Pat left this 
life on Wednesday, December 2, 2009, after struggling 
with the complications from a stroke. She leaves a rich 
enthusiasm for living with all who knew her, and a 
profound void for the family that loved her. Pat was 
born in Boise, Idaho, May 7, 1926, to Armorel and Albert 
(A.B.) Boeck M.D., at a time when families escaped the 
heat each summer to Payette Lakes. From childhood and 
throughout her life Pat spent each summer in McCall, 
eventually choosing the Lakes for retirement. A graduate 
of Boise High, Pat attended the University of Colorado, 
Boulder, from 1944 to 1948, where she graduated with 
honors earning a combined degree in philosophy, 
psychology and political science while also cultivating 
an interest in the Russian language. Pat launched her 
exploration of broader horizons after college; in the 
post war world she sailed for Istanbul, Turkey, to teach 
English at Robert College. On an Egyptian mail ship, the 
Khedive Ismail, she met and fell in love with her 
husband of sixty years, Bill Eames, also bound for 
Robert College. Returning in 1950, Pat and Bill's 
exploration of the worlds of people and ideas took them 
to live in Boise, Poughkeepsie, New York City, Salt Lake 
City, Charleston (W. Va.), Stamford (Conn.), Los 
Angeles, Washington D.C. and finally back to McCall. 
While Bill pursued a career in television news 
broadcasting, Pat continued her Russian studies, 
eventually translating and serving as an interpreter for 
visiting Soviet governors in 1959. She also developed a 
love of genealogy, researching Bill's New England family 
roots, her own German and Norwegian ancestry and 
eventually pursuing a career at the National Archives in 
Washington where she served as the Volunteer and Tour 
Coordinator training hundreds of docents to lead public 
tours and facilitate research projects. While at the 
National Archives she joined her interests in genealogy 
and Russian by initiating a program for Americans with 
Russian origins providing access to Soviet, and later 
Russian, archives, implementing a treaty between the 
U.S. and USSR. This work took her to Russia and led to 
many good Russian friends. And of course another great 
love of her life was her own family. Pat and Bill raised 
five children: Anthony, Kristin, Jan, Gregg and Mark. 
She is survived by eleven grandchildren and her 
children's five loving partners: Kimberly, Brian, Joe, 
Lisa and Karen. Although Gregg and Kristin live in 
McCall, her other children are far flung, residing 
across the continent from Portland, Maine, to Seattle, 
Washington, and in Toronto, Canada. In spite of the 
distances between them, they all come "home " regularly 
to McCall, and Pat's Idaho roots. Not one to sit idle, 
Pat viewed her retirement to McCall in 2000 as another 
opportunity to pursue her interest in people and their 
history, this time, fittingly, in Idaho. She threw her 
vast experience and energies into the Central Idaho 
Historical Museum, collecting the oral histories of many 
first settlers of Valley County while creating a safe 
home for their photographs and records. She was an 
active supporter of the public library as well as an 
enthusiastic volunteer in planning the future of the 
City of McCall. She was instrumental in undertaking a 
survey of McCall for its historically significant 
architecture. Pat was going strong on these and other 
projects when her health failed. Pat is survived by 
Bill, her sister Mardi, with her husband Herb Keen, and 
a loving extended family. A memorial service will be 
held for Pat on January 9, 2010, at the Community 
Congregational Church, 901 First St., McCall, at 1:00 
with a reception to follow. Contributions in her memory 
may be made to the Central Idaho Historical Museum, 1001 
State Street, McCall, Idaho 83638, (208)634-4497.

Published in Idaho Statesman on December 6, 2009