On January 28, 2010, a year and a half after her diagnosis of cancer, Ila Mae Grove Winterbourne passed away peacefully in Ojai CA. She was surrounded by her loving family and friends in her final days and was kept comfortable by the extraordinary care of the hospice team and nursing staff at the Ojai Valley Hospital Extended Care Unit.

Ila was born on a farm near Roosevelt Minnesota on May 18,1924. The youngest of eight children, and only girl, she lived in Minnesota until her graduation from Morehead Teachers College with a Bachelor of Arts. She went on to teach in the midwest until continuing her education in art at the University of Colorado in Denver where she received her masters in Art History.

It was in Denver she met her future husband, ceramicist William B. Winterbourne. They were married in Minnesota and soon moved to California eventually settling in Ventura in 1952 where Bill took a position at Ventura College in the Art Department. Bill and Ila had two children, Carol Jean and Alan Douglas (deceased). Bill Winterbourne died in 1984. Ila is survived by Carol, her husband Rob and their two children Chris and Julia.

Ila was a lover of music, art and nature. She was an avid gardener and bird watcher influencing many friends and family in these areas. After more than 50 years of bird watching her "life list" of birds was extensive and she was frequently seen with binoculars in hand gazing off into the sunset. As an orchid enthusiast she was a member of the orchid society and collected orchids for many years housing them in her two greenhouses.

On the music scene in Ventura Ila frequently volunteered services and funds to help promote classical music and was a long time member of the Ventura County Master Choral and Gold Coast Choir. For many years she contracted musicians for the Ventura Symphony, the Ventura Music Festival and the Ventura College Music Department and was a generous supporter of young musicians in the county.

For twenty years Ila worked for the Navy Base at Port Hueneme, just recently retiring in October of 2009. The Navy base was an integral part of her life and she had many fond memories and close friends at the base and would have worked there longer if she could have.

Ila will be sorely missed by many but her spirit will be with us forever.

Memorial Service to be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ventura,at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday Feb. 13. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Ventura College Foundation 4667 Telegraph Road Ventura, CA 93003 With memo: Ila Winterbourne Memorial, Music Scholarship Fund.