Eva Pearl Wren was born at 9:00 a.m. on February 12, 1943, in Eldorado, Arkansas, the first child of Lillie Mae and Earley McCray. Along with her mother, grandfather Capus Murphy, and younger siblings, Girthia and Donnell, Eva migrated to East St. Louis, Illinois in 1949.

Eva graduated from Lincoln Senior High School in June 1961 and became a Licensed Practical Nurse in 1964 via East St. Louis School District 189's School of Practical Nursing; she received her Associate Degree in Nursing from State Community College and became a Registered Nurse in 1974. Later, she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from St. Louis University in 1989.

Eva had a nursing career that spanned over 40 years. She was a nurse manager at St. Mary's Hospital where she worked in the Operating Room with a tight knit OR staff that remains in contact to this day. In addition to her tenure at St. Mary's, Eva worked for several home health care agencies, including Gibson Health Services in East St. Louis and Triple A Homecare in St. Louis.

Eva was an ordained minister and wholly dedicated to The Church of East St. Louis and enjoyed attending church conferences. It was at an E. C. Reems' conference that she met Mother Eleanor Workman, the founder of Christian Haitian Outreach, Inc. Eva fully immersed herself into raising money and gathering supplies to send to Haiti. She traveled to Haiti multiple times, including with a St. Mary's coworker on an eyecare medical mission. She loved the fact that everyone contributed, including children who had traveled with their parents.

Although called to serve abroad, Eva was equally compelled to help at home and would provide comfort through her compassion and nursing skills – often visiting extended family and community members. She was a volunteer chaplain at Touchette Regional Hospital, an election worker for the St. Louis Board of Election, a Vacation Bible School teacher, a literacy tutor, active in the Olivette Neighborhood Association in East St. Louis and had a radio ministry, House of Bread International.

Mr. Rogers famously said, Look for the helpers; Eva was one. She was generous with her time and money; sharing the resources that she had and donating to as many organizations as she could, including PBS. Eva worked at St. Mary's during a time when international nurses were recruited and gladly offered transportation to those newly arrived nurses.

A crowning achievement was to help purchase a home in East St. Louis for her beloved mother.

As hard as Eva worked she also enjoyed the beauty in life. She loved plants, flowers (particularly fond of roses), photography, music (she played the flute for the Lincoln High School band), was a bowler in the St. Mary's League and attended water aerobics at the Cherokee Recreation Center. She often traveled to Jamaica with her sister, Girt, and was fond of saying "Ya, mon." She enjoyed crocheting and baking. One of her signature creations at Christmas was Friendship Bread. Eva was mechanically-inclined as well. Books like The Family Handyman Helpful Hints could be found on her bookshelf alongside her plethora of Holy Bibles.

Eva married Clark A. Wren and to this union two children were born – Edrick Cornell and Andrea Michelle. She often requested the presence of her grandsons during the summer and, in 2022, she traveled to Valdosta, GA to meet her fourth great-grandchild, Kaide.

Eva was preceded in death by her parents, sister Carolyn Y. McCray, and three infant siblings. She leaves to cherish her memory two children; Edrick (Tara J. James), Knob Noster, MO and Michelle, St. Louis, MO. Five siblings: Girthia Payton of East St. Louis; Donnell McCray of Belleville, IL; Ronald (Tanya) McCray of Cahokia, IL; Christopher (Phyllis) McCray of Belleville, IL; Debbie (Paul) Culley of Cahokia, IL. Three grandchildren: Deitric, Dylan and Taran Wren. Six great-grandchildren, a host of  cousins, nieces and nephews, including Robert J. Perry who used to often say as a child, "I want to spend the night with aunt Eva." Dear friends, Moni Aderibigbe, Jacqueline Sherrod and Marthel Taylor; very special neighbors, Joyce Wempe and Morgan Rettele; Carolyn, Anita and Deborah and the ESTL Church family;  a special Bosnian daughter, Hazira, who helped with caregiving, and her faithful companion, Jazz – the American Eskimo.