Evette Lynn Respess

Evette was born on July 28, 1967, in Hickory, NC. Evette was the beloved daughter of Karen Lynn Poteat (née Pope) and the late Phillip Carroll Rockett, and stepdaughter of the late Rufus Franklin Poteat.

Evette graduated from Bunker Hill High School in 1985 and attended Caldwell Community College before beginning a career in customer service. She worked at Bank of Granite and Siecor before devoting many years to being a homemaker. Since 2013, she had worked as a Business Development Representative in the Service Department at Everett Chevrolet, where she was admired for her warmth, kindness, and dedication.

Raised in the Catholic faith, Evette was baptized, received her First Communion, and was confirmed at St. Aloysius Catholic Church. She carried her faith with her throughout her life, praying daily and keeping her rosary close by. She lived her faith in action, always giving generously, showing compassion, and helping those in need.

Evette will be remembered as loving, kind, nurturing, and generous; truly an angel on earth. She loved cooking and most of all, spending time with her family and friends. She had a gift for making everyone feel special and loved. Her two daughters were the pride and joy of her life, and her role as a mother was her proudest and most important calling.

She is survived by her devoted husband, William Wallace Respess Jr.; her loving daughters, Heather Lynn Setzler and Hannah Nicole Setzler; her mother, Karen Lynn Poteat; her brothers, Phillip Murray Rockett and Jeffrey Preston Rockett; her best friend, Tina Lynch; her cousin, Gayle Rhoney; her caregiver, Jack Poteat; and many other extended family members, friends, and caregivers who will deeply miss her.

The family will hold a Memorial Service at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Hickory, NC on Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 11AM. The family invites friends to join them in honoring Evette’s life and celebrating the love and kindness she shared with all.

Evette’s legacy of love, compassion, and grace will live on through her family and all who were blessed to know her.

Online condolences for Mrs. Respess may be made at www.drumfh-hickory.com

Drum Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Respess family.