Eilene Krauter, a longtime resident of rural Arvin, died peacefully in Bakersfield on April 23 at age 92, with her husband of 71 years, Glen E. Krauter and other family members at her side. Lillian Ilene Taylor was born in San Angelo, Texas in 1928 to Lois and Robert Taylor. After her father died in a drowning accident when she was quite young, her mother married Hubert Brown and the family moved to Arvin, California. Her kindergarten teacher changed her name to Eilene, the name she used the rest of her life. Eilene attended elementary school in Arvin, Bakersfield High School, Bakersfield College, and graduated from Fresno State College, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. She loved teaching fourth and fifth grades, and home economics where she inspired her students to share her love of the arts, cooking, sewing and crafts. She especially enjoyed helping her students conduct bake sales to raise funds for the Statue of Liberty restoration in 1983. At her retirement celebration, she summed up her career, saying, "The most exciting part was seeing the light turn on in my students' eyes." She met and captured the heart of Glen and they married in 1949. As an only child, she delighted in becoming part of the large family of Krauters' and raising four children. Their church home was the Arvin Union Congregational Church, where they made lifelong friends. One of their favorite social activities was the "Potluck Group" which she and Glen enjoyed for more than 65 years. She was also active in the church's Women's Fellowship Group and Sewing Circle, helping to organize the annual Christmas Crafts Fair to raise funds for the church. When she and Glen retired, they traveled extensively, often with Friendship Force International. Through this organization, they stayed with local families, immersing themselves in the culture of the countries they explored. In turn, Eilene and Glen hosted many visitors from other countries and developed lasting friendships, including Mr. Tsutomu Komatsu, a Japanese official who visited them on his quest to learn about the Special Olympics. Eilene was an avid artist, a skill she learned from her mother. She spent many happy hours painting rural landscapes, flowers and wildlife. She also enjoyed creating floral arrangements from flowers in her garden. She delighted her family and friends with her phenomenal cooking and baking skills, using many of the fresh ingredients from the family farm and her vast backyard garden. She shared her talents as a regular contributor to the Arvin Congregational Church Women's Fellowship Group's cookbooks. To support the needs of the Arvin community, Eilene and Glen planned, developed, owned, and managed the Grove Apartments for more than 20 years. Eilene is survived by her husband, Glen, age 97, of Wasco; her sons Kevin Krauter (Jane) of Newberg, Oregon, Robert (Carol) of Woodland, CA, Randy (Leilani) of Vancouver, WA, her daughter, Sharman (David) Demler of Wasco; six grandchildren - Lisa (Travis) Smith, Travis Krauter, and Carl, Steven and Emily Demler, and; six great grandchildren - Isaac, Rachel, Zach, Alice, and Benson Smith and Michael Gordon. Graveside services to commemorate her life will be held at the Arvin Cemetery, 15543 S. Vineland Road, on Friday, April 30 at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to a charity.