Evelyn Ford Waldron

WALDRON, Evelyn Ford, 97, resident of Tampa for over 60 years, passed away peacefully on May 1, 2015. She was born in Georgia, on February 19, 1918 to Mattie Mae Ruffin Ford and Joseph Asbury Ford. She was the sixth of nine children and attended Middle Georgia College. She married her beloved husband, Albert Waldron (deceased), in 1941. She is survived by five children, Gayle Waldron, Paula Wilkes, John M. Waldron (Arlene), Karen Dresser, and Phyllis Jan Ripple (Robert); brother, John Gordon Ford; sister, Rebecca Palladino; 14 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren. She was an amazingly devoted wife and mother and an immediate friend to all she met. Family and friends will miss her loving warmth, her laughter, her sense of adventure and fun. She was a loving, accepting, warm presence to all. A Celebration Of Life will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, May 9, 2015 at Stowers Funeral Home in Brandon. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to contribute to Evelyn’s favorite charity, Heifer International, 888-548-6437 or visiting her memorial page at www.fundraise.heifer.org . The family thanks LifePath Hospice for their excellent, compassionate care. Evelyn was a homemaker and cashier. She was known for her exquisite needlework, creative sewing, and great Southern cooking. Evelyn was an unusually gifted seamstress and continued sewing dolls and dresses for each of her great granddaughters until recently. She lived a life focused on family, helpfulness, love, laughter and dancing! Her sense of humor, sunny disposition, generous, loving spirit and the ability to befriend others are all qualities she will be remembered for. She was beloved by family and friends. Evelyn loved adventure and traveled throughout the U.S. and abroad. She thrived when experiencing cultures different from her own. She traveled to 13 countries. She rode a yak in the Himalayas, a camel on the beach of Karachi, Pakistan, and sunbathed in Bali, charming everyone who had the opportunity to meet her. Evelyn believed that life was worth celebrating at every chance and marked milestone birthdays at 90 by cruising to Mexico and a dance party at 95. She was a vibrant, loving spirit who will be missed by all who knew her.