Evonne Kreml

She spent quite a bit of her childhood on her grandparents’ farm near Sioux Falls, South Dakota and graduated from high school there.

Her family later moved to Los Angeles where Evonne worked as a bank teller. She loved telling stories about the famous people that would come to the bank. She marveled at how short Kirk Douglas was; and was proud to tell her family that when Nat King Cole came to the bank, he only wanted to go to Evonne’s window.

She met her husband, Dick, on a train where he tried to impress her by telling her that it was his family that owned Kreml Hair Tonic company – they didn’t. At that time, Dick was in the Air Force based in Riverside, California. Dick and Evonne married when his time in the service was over in 1951, and they moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, where Dick attended Lawrence University. After his graduation, they moved to Atlanta, where their son, Craig, was born. They later moved to Baltimore where their daughter, Karen, was born.

During the time Craig and Karen were little, Evonne was a stay-at-home mom who enjoyed volunteering at school and social functions. The family moved to the Chicago area when the kids were in elementary school, and Evonne became the school secretary. She was also the de facto “nurse,” spending time with the children and looking at their gross injuries.

Dick and Evonne moved to the Houston area in 1979. Evonne became the bookkeeper for Dick’s newly created business. She kept the books in a paper ledger, even after Excel and other databases became the norm. She was always able to reconcile accounts to the penny!

Evonne was an accomplished singer and was asked to perform during many wedding ceremonies. Later, she became the lead soloist in her church’s choir. She was also an excellent cook and baker.

Although never a golfer herself, Evonne enjoyed going to golf tournaments with Dick to watch the players. Being as short as she was, she was able to get under the ropes for awesome views!

As Evonne got closer to retirement, her athletic skills finally became known – she joined a local women’s bowling team and became one of their star players. She also loved to play Bridge, Canasta, and Bunco.

Family was of paramount importance to Evonne. After Craig’s and Karen’s families moved to Houston area, Evonne and Dick enjoyed spending time with their children and grandchildren. Evonne eventually cared for Dick in their home until his death in 2018. She enjoyed living in the Village of Gleannloch Farms Assisted Living since December 2020 until her death on August 14, 2024.

She is survived by her son Craig Kreml (MaryBeth) and daughter Karen Liska (Bob). She is also survived by her grandchildren Bryan Liska (Dani), Erin Kreml, Julie Babin (Justin) and Mark Kreml (Allison) as well as four great-grandchildren.

Her family is extremely grateful to all the caretakers at The Village at Gleannloch Farms Assisted Living and to the Hospice nurses from Heart-to-Heart for loving Evonne. Donations in Evonne’s name can be made to the American Cancer Society or the Alzheimer’s Association.