Eva E. Rumpf

Eva Elise Augustin Rumpf

Jan 8, 2026

Eva Elise Augustin Rumpf was many things: a writer, editor, teacher, community leader, wife, and mother. She was also a tenacious woman.

Eva, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 27, 1939, grew up poor, in a small “shotgun” house with no hot water. Yet she excelled in high school, being on the debate team and in the National Honor Society and serving as editor of the school newspaper. “Eva always had drive, she never procrastinated, and she was extraordinarily self-confident,” said her lifelong friend Bonnie Nelson. “During high school she was happy, well-grounded, and self-confident, at an age when a lot of us weren’t.”

Scholarships and work-study jobs allowed Eva to attend Elmhurst College (now University) in Illinois — the only person in her family to attend college, of which she was very proud. “College was really an important experience for both of my parents,” said daughter Rebecca Vaughn Larcheid, the oldest of the four Rumpf siblings, “so the expectation from a very young age was that we would all go to college.”

Added Andy, the second oldest, “She always believed in knowledge, education, pushing us to go beyond where we were comfortable. But she didn’t do it in a way that we knew.”

During her first year at Elmhurst, she met Bill, a sophomore, when they were moving books to a new library wing. At the party afterward, Bill recalled, “I looked across the room and spotted this wonderful young woman and asked her to dance … “ Before they graduated, he had proposed — standing outside her first-floor dorm room window.

Bill worked as a systems analyst for JCPenney for 29 years, first in Milwaukee, then in Texas. Even though over time they adopted four children, Eva always worked. She taught writing and served as a student media advisor at a number of schools, including Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and Marquette University.

Eva also had a successful career in public relations and marketing, holding positions at Curative Rehabilitation Center, De Paul Hospital, and Family Service America. In the 1980s, she was director of communication and speechwriter for Milwaukee Mayor Henry W. Maier. Along the way, she earned a master’s in journalism from Marquette.

“We were latchkey kids, but that was normal for our family,” recalled Rebecca. “We always knew she was there for us — with notes on the refrigerator about what to take out of the freezer for dinner, who should set the table, etc.”

Added Tim, the youngest, “She sacrificed for us. She didn’t start working full time at The Journal until I was in first grade. She made sure I wouldn’t have a babysitter. And she would plan out meals for a week. She was a planner.”

The multi-ethnic Rumpf children are white, African American and Indian. Because the family lived in the diverse Sherman Park neighborhood, the kids didn’t feel out of place because of being adopted or because they looked so different from each other — and their parents. “For a long time, I thought everyone had sisters and brothers with different skin colors,” Andy recalled.

Margi, the third oldest, added that the siblings always knew they were adopted. “Mom would say, ‘We chose you. Your friends’ parents didn’t have a choice.’ She was partly joking; still, I feel blessed that they chose me.”

As a result of her children’s diverse backgrounds, as well as the discrimination she saw growing up in New Orleans, Eva was a fierce advocate for social justice. “One thing I always admired about Eva is that she was so fearless,” said her friend, Carolyn Morse. “She would stand up anywhere and say anything if she felt she should. I was in awe of that.” Eva and Carolyn were both members of Sarah’s Circle, a women’s group at Plymouth Church on the Milwaukee’s East Side that met regularly to discuss their personal concerns. Carolyn describes the two of them as “theological rebels.”

Despite their busy work and home life, Eva and Bill found time to take the kids on a variety of family trips, at first tent camping, then in a pop-out trailer. “I don’t know how they found the time and energy to do those things, but my friends were really envious,” Andy said. Highlights included trips to National Parks such as the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Bryce Canyon, and Rocky Mountain National Park.

After the children were grown, the couple expanded their travel horizons even more, taking Road Scholar trips to Europe, South American, Africa, and Cuba. “After a trip to New Orleans, we stayed a few more days with Eva giving us an insider’s tour of the city,” recalled Carolyn Morse. “Especially the best restaurants!”

In the 1970s Eva began writing in earnest, first as a part-time general assignment reporter for The Milwaukee Journal and then as a book author. Her four books are ‘Til Divorce Do Us Part: A Practical Guide for Women in Troubled Marriages (co-authored); PROT U, a satirical novel about academic life; Reclamation: Memories from a New Orleans Girlhood, a memoir of growing up in New Orleans; and In Liberty’s Name, a historical novel based on her French ancestors in New Orleans.

In an interview for Encyclopedia.com, Eva said of her writing, “When I write, I know my thoughts and my feelings and what I care about. Afterward, I get great satisfaction when I know that my words have instructed or moved or entertained another.”

Twelve years ago Bill and Eva moved from Milwaukee’s East Side to Cedar Community, a retirement community in West Bend. Eva quickly became immersed in the community by offering a memoir writing class, hosting Mardi Gras parties, and encouraging others to create butterfly habitats. “She also ‘ordered’ us to buy decals for our windows so birds wouldn’t be killed flying toward them,” said her neighbor Pat Love. “She had a subtle way of convincing!”

Eva died on January 8, 2026, after struggling for many months with health issues. She was a valiant breast cancer survivor (three times), having undergone the first lumpectomy in Wisconsin, in 1980.

Eva was predeceased by her parents, Richard and Maxine (Cook) Augustin. She is survived by her husband, William Rumpf; by her children, Rebecca Vaughn Larcheid (Dan Larcheid), Andrew Rumpf (Jill Sanfelippo Rumpf), Margaret Rumpf, and Timothy Rumpf (partner Lorri Anderson); by her five grandchildren, Lashanda, Gregory, and Marcia Slade and Austin and Ariana Rumpf; and by her sisters, Elise Koffler and Alvah Majoue.

Donations in Eva’s memory can be made to Doctors Without Borders or Elmhurst University. Remembrances can be shared on the funeral home website, https://www.myrhum-patten.com

A memorial service for Eva is planned for March 14, 2026, with the visitation beginning at 11 a.m., at the theater at Cedar Community in West Bend. (5595 County Road Z, West Bend, WI 53095)

Myrhum-Patten Funeral & Cremation Service has been entrusted with Eva's arrangements. Additional information and online guest book can be found at www.myrhum-patten.com.