Eileen Maria Conwell was born on December 1926 in Boston, Massachusetts to Joseph and Esther Johnson. Maria was the oldest of three children. Maria had a soul that craved adventure which took her to New York City in 1945. At the age of 19 she operated the elevator of the
Empire State Building. At 9:49 A.M. on July 28th 1945 angels were looking out for Maria who ran late on her way back to work from her break only to discover a B-25 bomber had crashed into the Empire State Building turning it into a billow of fire and smoke. Durning her time in New
York City she also worked at the famous Latin Quarter nightclub where she turned Frank Sinatra down for a date. At a time when it was not a popular idea for women to be educated Maria attended Smith College for Women in Northhampton, Massachusetts where she studied law.
Maria travelled to Los Angeles, California and in the 1960s worked as a Private Investigator for the city. While on the job she met L.A. Fire Chief Walter Bettis Conwell. The two fell in love and married in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1969. Maria and her beloved husband travelled all over the world, had a passion for sailing and shared a love for the bright lights of Las Vegas. Maria was a very talented chef and won many vacations through competitive cooking contests. Maria had a huge heart animals and had two little dogs of her own. Maria was a kind, generous and feisty soul. She will be dearly missed by all those whose lives she touched and she will not soon be forgotten.