Evelyn Lorraine Wand

Evelyn L. Wand of East Peoria, Illinois passed away at 11:45 a.m. on December 27, 2023 at age 96. Evelyn was born to John Leonard and Eva Deisher Bell in St. Louis, Missouri on Dec 26, 1927. She was preceded in death by both parents; siblings, Eileen Ayres, Paul Bell, Sylvia Tay, Alice Cranston; stepdaughter, Diane Smith; and husbands, Glendon C. I. Tate and Moritz A. Wand.

Evelyn was a single mother in 1963 with four children, Pamala Tate (Herb) Eaton of Bloomington, Glenda Tate (Thom) Henry of East Peoria, David (Carol) Tate of Holister, Missouri, Michael (Mary) Tate of Parker, Colorado. She married Moritz A. Wand in 1971 and added four stepchildren, Diane Smith, Sue Smith, David (Donna) Wand, and John (Kay) Wand. Moritz passed in 1989. She is survived by her four children; three step-children; sisters, Vivian Clemons of Burnsville, Minnesota and Ann Saad of Kansas City, Missouri; 19 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren. Evelyn enjoyed gardening, painting on canvas and china, dancing, and traveling. After she and Maury retired from Oliver/White Farm Equipment in Peoria, they moved to Texas and began their world travels.

She grew up on a Missouri farm and attended a one room school walking two miles to school. She attended high school in Rolla, Missouri for two years before going to School of the Ozarks in Point Lookout near Branson, Missouri as a junior. Growing up in a rural community, there was no bus service, so she lived and worked as a nanny for a family in Rolla to cover her room and board for her first two years of high school. School of the Ozarks is a school where you work your way through school to pay for tuition, room and board and this is how she finished high school. She graduated in 1945 from the School of the Ozarks. She then attended Draughon’s business college in Springfield, Missouri. She moved to Peoria in 1956 and then moved to East Peoria and attended classes at ICC and Bradley University. After Maury’s death in 1989 Evelyn continued to travel to all the places they had planned to go. She kept a map of the world with red pins showing the many countries she visited.

She will be missed by her family and the many friends she made during her long life.

Evelyn's memorial service will be at 10:00 am Monday, May 20, 2024 at Remmert Funeral Home in East Peoria. Rev. Dr. Loren Whetsell will officiate. Her visitation will be from 9:00 am to 10:00 am also on Monday at the funeral home. Burial of Evelyn’s cremated remains will be in Springdale Cemetery in Peoria. The family has arranged a celebration of life gathering from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm Monday, July 29, 2024 at the Eaton Art Gallery, 411 N. Center Street, Bloomington, Illinois 61701.

Condolences and memories may be left with Remmert Funeral Home in East Peoria http://www.dignitymemorial.com as they are handling arrangements.

Memorials may be made to Shriners Children’s Hospital www.shrinerschildrenshospital.org.