Evaline Rhodehamel

Evaline Hitz Rhodehamel, 95, died peacefully at home on August 22, 2020 surrounded by family and friends and a loving dog. Evie was born in Indianapolis in 1924 to Elizabeth Holliday Hitz and Benjamin Dickson Hitz. A sixth generation Hoosier, she was a lifelong resident of Indianapolis and summer resident of Leland, Michigan. She attended the Orchard Country Day School and graduated from Tudor Hall and Bryn Mawr College.

Evie was the last living grandchild of Indianapolis newspaperman, philanthropist and civic leader John Hamden Holliday. She devoted countless hours to civic organizations she cared about, and served on the boards of numerous charitable organizations. Examples include the Indiana Historical Society, Hanover College, the Indianapolis Garden Club, the Indianapolis Women’s Club, Park Tudor School, the Society of Indiana Pioneers, the Colonial Dames, the Daughters of the American Revolution, Friends of Homeless Animals, and Gunston Hall. She served as an officer for many of these organizations as well, including as President of the Garden Club, the Women’s Club, Colonial Dames and Society of Indiana Pioneers. Evie participated in prayer groups at the Indiana Women’s Prison for decades. She received many awards and honors for her tireless devotion to these organizations and the people they served. From her youth she was a member of First Presbyterian Church, and later of Second Presbyterian Church, where she served as an Elder and sang in the Sanctuary Choir.

Her husband of 59 years, Harley Wesley Rhodehamel, Jr., preceded her in death in 2006. She and Harley donated their beloved family property in Brown County, Indiana to the Nature Conservancy to create the Hitz Rhodehamel Woods. Her faith, her family, her family history, her gardens, and her beloved companion animals were the passions of her life. She leaves behind her five children, John of Newport Beach, CA, Nick (Beth) of Madison, WI, Lucia (Mark Lorenzi) of Kula, HI, Harley III “Hap” (Carol Overman) of Spokane, WA, and William (Megan) of Brownsburg, IN, as well as 11 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

A private graveside ceremony will be held for immediate family and friends, and a celebration of Evie’s life will be held in 2021 for all. Memorial donations may be made to an animal welfare organization, the Nature Conservancy of Indiana, Second Presbyterian Church, or the charity of the donor’s choice.