Lilly Love
January 11, 1932 – February 21, 2026
Lilly Eva Love (née Dombrowski Eichler), age 94, of Olympia, Washington, passed away peacefully at home on February 21, 2026.
She is survived by her three children, Byron Gregory Love, Christine Elsbeth Love, and Heidi Anita Love, as well as her great-grandchildren Sébastien Wolf Deibler-Love, Juniper Moon Deibler-Love, and Henning Rayne Deibler-Love. She was preceded in death by her beloved granddaughter, India Summer Deibler-Love, who passed away in 2023.
Lilly was born on January 11, 1932, in Danzig, Germany, to Erna Hulda Margarete Damasch and Ernst Walter Dombrowski Eichler, and was one of six children. As a young girl she lived through the upheaval of World War II. Her father was sent to a labor camp while Lilly, her mother, and her younger siblings were forced to flee as refugees, enduring extraordinary hardship. During this time Lilly’s mother also cared for her disabled mother-in-law, transporting her in a wheelbarrow while guiding her three youngest children to safety. Those early experiences shaped Lilly’s lifelong resilience and quiet determination. The story of the family’s wartime survival was later documented in an autobiography written by Lilly’s mother and in a short documentary film featuring several of Lilly’s siblings.
In 1958, Lilly became the last member of her family to emigrate to the United States, traveling aboard the RMS Queen Mary before eventually making her way to Los Angeles, California. Not long after arriving in the United States, she met Eugene Joseph Love, who would become her husband for just over a decade.
Following her divorce in 1972, Lilly moved with her children to Salt Lake City, Utah, where she lived for the next 24 years. In the mid-1990s she relocated to Olympia, Washington to be near her daughters and granddaughter, and she remained there for the rest of her long and interesting life.
Lilly loved spending time in nature and dedicated much of her life to caring for the Earth. Though small in stature, she was fierce in her conviction to live lightly on the planet and was known among those who loved her for having one of the smallest carbon footprints imaginable. Long before sustainability became a popular concept, Lilly simply lived it as a way of life. She truly walked the talk and inspired many others to do the same. In keeping with those values, she gave up owning a car decades ago in protest of the pollution and excess of car culture, relying instead on walking, bicycling, and Olympia’s local bus system to get around. In Olympia she could often be spotted on her daily two-mile power walks or speeding along on her bicycle, a familiar sight as she moved briskly through town enjoying the fresh air and the natural world she loved so much.
She was also deeply committed to serving her community. Lilly volunteered in many capacities throughout her life and was the longest-serving volunteer cashier at the Olympia Food Co-op, where she worked weekly for nearly three decades. She also volunteered as a hospice worker, served as a reading tutor for local elementary school students and immigrant families, volunteered at the Olympia Senior Center, and for many years hosted the pickup point for a local farm’s Community Supported Agriculture program.
Lilly also remained deeply connected to her cultural roots and to lifelong learning. She was a dedicated member of the Olympia German Club for many years and enjoyed participating in local Spanish-language conversation groups, where she continued her love of language and connection with others.
Lilly was playful, adventurous, and known for her sharp sense of humor. She had a curious spirit, a deep love of nature, and a quiet determination that carried her through many chapters of life. Those who knew her remember a woman who lived simply, cared deeply, and never stopped finding joy in the world around her.
In keeping with her lifelong commitment to caring for the Earth, Lilly chose natural organic reduction (human composting) for her final arrangements.
She will be deeply missed by her family, her friends, and the many people whose lives she touched. The resilience she carried from her earliest years and the care she showed for the world around her remain part of the legacy she leaves behind.
A celebration of Lilly’s life will be held in Olympia in early summer.
A short documentary about her family’s World War II story can be viewed here:
https://youtu.be/t0wAWXozVxA