Eugenia Nash Devens                 

Eugenia was born the 6th of July, 1922 in Portsmouth Virginia, to Monroe and Helen Nash.

She came of age during the Great Depression and then World War II. She worked at the nearby Naval Hospital, where she witnessed the true cost of war.  Her older brother Charles Nash died as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Corp at the age of 21. She moved to California to be with her sister Betsy, whose husband was stationed there, and met her husband Robert McWhinney.  They moved to his hometown of Homestead, PA in 1945 and proceeded to have 5 children over 16 years: Julia, Helen, Charlie, Sam and Monroe (Rody). They moved to Sewickley in 1959, where Eugenia became very active in the community. She was a Sunday School teacher and a member of the Vestry at St. Stephens Episcopal Church. In 1965, she and two other women started the first ever women -owned real estate company in the state, Sewickley Town and Country Real Estate, a successful business they had for 15 years. Eugenia had a knack for finding the perfect house for her clients. In 1979, at age 58, she decided to work on her lifelong goal of a college education and enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh. Even though she had never attended college before, she graduated in two years. By the time she was 61 she had a Master of Library Science degree, and worked for some time as a professional corporate librarian.She was a long-time member of the Sewickley Garden Club and the Union Aid Society.  She was on the Sewickley Borough Historic Review Board for several years and was a member of the Edgeworth Club and the Allegheny Country Club, the latter for almost six decades. She was the first woman to be on the membership committee there. She made volunteering a career: she taught adults to read (a skill she impressed on her children), she worked the Sewickley Academy’s Clothesline Sale, and she and her husband Harry Devens delivered Meals on Wheels together for many years.  She generously contributed to many charities. Eugenia was a lifelong Bridge player. If it was 2:00 on a Wednesday, she was at Duplicate.  She was a very good player, and a partner of choice well into her 80’s.Eugenia was a locally famous maker of Chutney and Green Tomato Pickle, which her neighbors would look forward to every Christmas along with some of her famous spiced beef. She loved to entertain, and her Christmas Day afternoon party was famous. She held her last cocktail party just before her 95th birthday. She is survived by and will be greatly missed by her brother Rody Nash of Virginia Beach and her five children: Julia Woodward of Dallas; Helen Moriyama (Halley) of Wellesley, Charles Halcomb (Ellie) of State College, Pa., Sam Halcomb (Betsy) and Monroe (Rody) Nash (Michelle) of Sewickley. Eugenia also enjoyed 12 Grandchildren and 7 Great Grandchildren.  She invited all to enjoy her much loved beach cottage in the Outer Banks, where she enjoyed long walks on the beach as well as cocktail hour on the deck. She was very well cared for by a group of loving women, primarily her daughter in law Felicity. A memorial service will be held at the Masonic Village Assembly room at 12:00 Saturday, September 30th, led by her friend Reverend Tim Reichard.  Arrangements by Copeland’s.

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