Evelyn E Carter

Evelyn Oneida Carter nee Erwin was born at home, on the mountain, in Eccles, West Virginia March 22, 1924. She was born in a company house to a coal mining family. Her mother, Hester V. Kilgore, and her father Harvey C. Erwin welcomed their first daughter just as spring was making her way through the hills. Born only a few years before the onset of the great depression, Evelyn grew up poor.

She told tales of the company store where miners could buy the necessities with coal company script, and sometimes treats like vie-enny sausages. (Vienna sausages) There were sometimes toys and sweets even in hard-hit rural coal country. Her older brother, Wylie, somehow scraped together enough money to buy Evelyn a Shirley Temple doll when she was a child, and this doll remains a treasured family possession.

In school Evelyn especially enjoyed home economics classes: she became an accomplished seamstress, and later would make much of her children's clothing. In spite of the hardships growing up, Evelyn graduated from Trap Hill High School near Eccles in 1942 and maintained lifelong connections with her friends from that time. She attended countless class reunions over the years and once travel became difficult, kept up with the back home news via the internet.

Evelyn had a notable propensity to save anything that could possibly be of use, this tendency probably beginning with her spartan childhood. Who knew saved aluminum foil could be soft?

Evelyn was generous to a fault, and was never interested in fancy possessions, even later in life when she could have afforded them. Moreover, she was the kind of person who would give you whatever it was of hers that she thought you might want or need.

After high school Evelyn moved with a girlfriend to Baltimore, Maryland and they got factory jobs supporting the war effort, as WWII was just beginning to rage. On July 3, 1943 she married her childhood sweetheart, Everette Russell Ferguson Carter and moved to Quantico Virginia. (This in spite of the fact that her father, Grandpa Harvey, tried to bribe her not to marry him.)

Everette was a Marine stationed at Parris Island, South Carolina and it was there that Evelyn gave birth to their first child, Everette Russell Jr. After the war Evelyn and Everette went home to West Virginia for a time, and welcomed two daughters, Myra Sue and Sharon Rose. When the children were quite young, the family decided to seek better fortunes in Ohio and found a home in Circleville.

Initially Evelyn and Everette managed The Circleville Motel on old Rte. 23 (aka North Court Street) and lived at the adjoining property. Sharon Rose tells of trailing behind Evelyn, to place the tiny soaps in their proper place in the rooms as Evelyn cleaned.

Later Evelyn and Everette bought their first house, on Highland Avenue in Circleville, for $11,000. It was here that Evelyn resided until late 2019, when at the age of 95 she moved to Brown Memorial Home. Although she had one home for much of her life, Evelyn certainly did not stay put!

In a time when many women stayed home to raise children, either by choice or because of societal expectations, Evelyn worked outside the home and raised her family as well. After the motel Evelyn found employment at General Electric, or, "the lamp plant", as she referred to it. She worked the swing shift from 3pm until midnight and was friends with many of the other women on her shift. Next she worked as a switchboard operator at a young Berger Hospital, connecting calls manually in an era well before the advent of the mobile phone. After her time with Berger, Evelyn worked for many years as a receptionist for Dr. Emily Lutz, a well-known OBGYN locally.

Those many years brought joys. Evelyn's oldest daughter Myra Sue, attended cosmetology school, and remains active legislatively, advocating for Ohio cosmetology and barber licensees. Her younger daughter, Sharon Rose, after studying art for a time, met and married a German soldier she met during the Circleville Pumpkin Show. They spent the next 20 years moving around the world, first with the German military, then the American military, because you guessed it, after becoming a US citizen, and joining the US Army, Sharon's husband Michael Matthiass was stationed in Germany! Evelyn visited frequently in Europe and various US locations.

There were hard times too. Evelyn's only son, Everette Russell, spent time with the armed services, like his father, but was tragically killed in 1983 at the age of 37. Evelyn's beloved grandson Everette Russell III, likewise lost his life too young, passing away in 1980 at the age of 16, as the result of a motor vehicle accident.

Evelyn is also preceded in death by her husband Everette who died in 1974 at the age of 50, as well as her parents, Harvey and Hester, her sister Hazel and her brother Wylie.

In spite of loss and in the face of hardship Evelyn always found joy in life. Her greatest love was for her family. She shared all that she had, always. Sharon Rose, her husband Michael, and Evelyn's grandchildren stayed with her at 111 Highland Avenue multiple times over the years when Michael was between military duty stations.

Somehow Evelyn, who we all called Bobbie, always had lovely cakes and desserts to hand in spite of having been a diabetic for many years. There will never be another Rum Cake to match hers. Apple Rolls, Whacky Cake, the list is long. Peanut Butter Fudge!

Evelyn was an adventurer, setting off in the world at age 18. She travelled extensively in her lifetime, always in the name of family. She once hauled an entire Honey Baked Ham overseas in her carry-on luggage, to share with Sharon's family who were stationed in Germany. She and daughter Sue, driving a Volkswagen Beetle from Texas to Ohio got a flat tire in the midst of the southwestern desert and were stranded for hours until they were rescued by a cowboy.

In later years Highland Avenue became home for a series of great-grandchildren whom Evelyn happily and generously babysat from babyhood on. There was never a lack of good, and often creative, cooking.

On December 19, 2018 Evelyn was baptized into the Catholic faith. This faith was a great comfort to her especially in her final days. She received the Last Rites on April 16, 2020.

There is so much more that could be said and many memories of Evelyn that we will hold in our hearts.

It is impossible to sum up a life, especially one as long as Evelyn's. People often speak of a light going out when one of their dear ones pass away, but we will not see it that way. Evelyn's light shone bright for many years and now it has not gone out, it has gone on. She joins the loved ones that went before her and we who are left behind know that someday we will be with her again. We count ourselves lucky to have known and loved her.

She was ever a great mother, grandmother, neighbor, sister and friend. She will be sorely missed by so many. Her daughters, Myra Sue, and Sharon Rose. Her son-in-law, Michael Herrman. Her grandchildren: Maria Monika, Evelyn Ruth aka Mother Clare, Michael Patrick, and Elizabeth Rose. Her great-grandchildren: Jordan Rain, Jackson Carter, Cerridwen Amiel, and Evelyn Chiara. And, especially, her sister, Sybil Hinkle. If it was 11:00 in Circleville, their phone lines were busy, checking on each other. Nieces Lisa Wills and Nina Christmas. Her steadfast neighbors and friends for many years, Jim and Betty Stauffer, and other family of the heart including Beverly and Randy Weller, Jason MacFarland, the Phillips family and Mother Lucille.