Evelyn Ruth DeForest

She grew up on the family farm attending the country schools of Hartford and graduating from Hartford High School in 1938. Growing up on the farm was hard work but the 5 girls often made work go quickly by singing fun songs, lead my their mother Rose.

After graduating from high school, Evelyn, scholarship in hand, traveled by train to attend school at Hays Teachers College in Hays, Kansas. While attending college she met Kenneth DeForest who fell madly in love with her at first sight. They were married on Nov. 28, 1940 in Holdrege, NE.

Evelyn, growing up in a musical family, loved to dance and when she first met Kenneth she told him she would never date a man who did not know how to dance. Kenneth, completely smitten with this beautiful “little” lady, caught on quickly and dancing became a lifelong love for both of them.

Their first child, Karen Ann, was born in Hays, KS. In 1942. Their second daughter, Rosalie Frances, was born in Wichita, KS. in 1944 while Kenneth served in the Army during WWII. Their third daughter, Patricia Kay, was born in Wichita the winter of 1946. While growing up, one of us girls’ early rememberences was singing with our mother. She carried on her families tradition and we learned to sing as soon as we could talk. Our love of music continues to this day.

The family moved to a home in south Wichita that Kenneth built in 1954. Shortly after their move Evelyn began working for the Boeing Aircraft Company as a secretary. While living in their home on South Laura, Kenneth built a back yard swimming pool. Evelyn never was a “swimmer” but she loved paddleing around in an innertube on a hot summer day.

While living at their home on Laura, Evelyn was a member of Cedar Chapel Methodist Church where the whole family attended and involved in various ways including the church choir. Evelyn, Karen, and Rosalie often sang special numbers as a trio.

Evelyn was a very talented seamstress and would go the major department stores and sketch any dress she liked and then make her own pattern and sew it up. She made almost all of her girl’s dresses when they were young and even some of their special dresses as they grew into teenagers.

In 1966 Kenneth and Evelyn moved across country to the Seattle, WA area where Kenneth had been transferred to the Boeing Aircraft Company in Renton, WA. Evelyn also returned to work with Boeing, first at the Renton Plant then at the Everett Plant as a secretary in the air worthiness department until she retired in 1981. She was a very efficient and hard worker, often being told they had to hire “two” Kelly Girls to take her place when she was away on vacation.

Kenneth and Evelyn both loved to travel and several times when Kenneth’s job took him to other parts of the country, Evelyn was able to join him. Also, while daughter Pat and her husband Ron were stationed in Germany, Kenneth and Evelyn traveled to visit them and visited several countries in Europe.

In the early years after their move to Washington, Evelyn and Kenneth loved to hike, camp, and spend time beachcombing on the beaches of both Washington and Oregon. They filled their home with glass fishing balls, driftwood, agates, and all sorts of dried sea life. Evelyn made numerous pictures with sea shells, driftwood and anything she could find while hiking the mountain trails and walking the sandy beaches. After retiring from Boeing Evelyn and Kenneth moved to the Lake Cushman area where they added oyster digging to their activities. It was not unusual to find them either at the oyster fields or digging clams for Kenneth’s famous clam chowder. They also began their “snowbird” life spending 6 months of the year at their lot in the foothills of Yuma, AZ. They had many friends there and enjoyed playing cards, dancing, playing in the desert, and just relaxing and having fun. While in Yuma, Evelyn began taking oil painting lessons and painted many pictures of the desert landscapes, mountains, and beaches she loved so much. She could turn almost anything into a backdrop for her artwork; rock slabs, leaves, tree fungus, shells, and the usual canvas.

After several years in the Lake Cushman area, Kenneth and Evelyn moved to a gated community in Yelm, WA. They became avid gardeners while living in their home there.

During the winter of 1998 Kenneth was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and after a brief illness passed away in August of that year. Kenneth and Evelyn would have celebrated their 57th anniversary that fall.

Losing Kenneth was a very difficult time for Evelyn but she was a strong woman and life did go on. Not long afterwards she was able to join daughter Karen and husband Mac on a trip to Singapore and Bali, enjoying the sights and sounds of another world. Also, the summer before her 80th birthday, Evelyn joined her three other sisters, Wilma, Esther, and Nelva and went with an RV caravan to Alaska for three months. Others in the group were her brother Don and wife Donna, niece Donna and husband Bob, and several other couples. It was a trip of a life time and they all had a wonderful adventure. Evelyn was very glad her family talked her into going.

After Kenneth’s death, Evelyn moved to an independent living retirement complex in Everett, WA so she could be closer to her family. She quickly made friends and became involved in the activities there; gardening and hobby club being two of her favorites. She was often referred to as “trouble” but she was loved dearly by many friends and staff there.

At the age of 90 Evelyn’s kidneys began to fail and she started the much exhausting journey into kidney dialysis. She courageously went two times a week for dialysis and even though it was her least favorite place to go, she still managed to bring smiles and laughter to all the patients and staff at the center, wearing her funny hats, big rings, and various tattoos.

She loved to laugh and make others laugh as well. One of her favorite quotes was,

“laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone”

Evelyn was a fun loving, devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She brought love and laughter everywhere she went and she will be missed very much by her family and dear friends. We know she is now laughing and singing in Heaven with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and reunited with her loving husband Kenneth and other loved ones who have passed on before her.