Mrs. Evelyn Emily Cory Thorne

Evelyn Emily Thorne passed away on April 13, 2014.

Born March 1, 1922, to Freda May and Michael Cory, the sixth of seven children, Evelyn spent her entire life in Winnipeg. Her father was a shop owner, and during the Depression, worked as a fur trader for the Hudson's Bay Company, taking a horse-drawn sled 500 km north across frozen Lake Winnipeg to Norway House, where he contracted tuberculosis.

In 1939, Evelyn met (Arthur) Roy Thorne, best friend of her brother Roger. After five years apart, they married two weeks after his return from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), at the end of World War II. They had three children - Janis, Donald, and Robert. Forced to leave school to work after the death of her mother during the Depression, Evelyn completed a high school equivalency after the birth of her last child. She was very proud of her children and grandchildren, who all earned university degrees.

Evelyn was a devoted wife and mother. She was unfailingly honest and modest, and was a very hard worker. She maintained a comfortable and immaculate home for her family, buying the furniture, painting and wallpapering the walls, and cooking good meals. She also worked outside of the home for almost 30 years, helping to support her family, especially after the death of her husband in 1974. She worked at Eaton’s and Dayton's in downtown Winnipeg and then at Hollinsworth’s and Gray’s at the Grant Park Shopping Mall, where she used her excellent taste and her flair for color combinations to the benefit of her customers. She remained a beautiful dresser to the end of her life.

Evelyn was active for many years in St. Peter's Anglican Church, teaching Sunday school and serving on the Women's Auxiliary. She was also blessed to have many good neighbours both on Carter Avenue and especially on Hector Bay, who she enjoyed meeting in Grant Park Mall.

Evelyn was good with numbers, rarely using a calculator, and doing her own taxes her entire life. She loved to play cards. She was an avid reader, and was always on top of current affairs. She also loved sports. She played baseball, would take her children skating at Old Fort Rouge rink, and loved to watch football and tennis on television.

In her later years, Evelyn was fortunate to be surrounded by an adoring family. Outliving all of her siblings and their spouses (sisters Georgina (Odilon) Costello and Frances (Cecil) McIntosh, brothers George (Vandi), Roger (Margaret), Danny (Thelma), and Alec (Dorothy), and her adopted brother Albert, she would regale her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews with her wonderfully entertaining stories of times past. She was always there for them, listening without judging, and providing her wise counsel. She had a gentle sense of humour, and loved a good laugh. She was proud of her independence, and lived in her own home on Hector Bay until last year.

A private family service and interment of her ashes, beside her beloved Roy, occurred on April 16, 2014 at Thomson “In the Park” Cemetery, officiated by Rev. Jennifer Sisson. A memorial gathering will be held later this year.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice or to the Winnipeg Humane Society in loving memory of her four-legged friends: Babette, Bridgette, Tess, Lady, and Paddy.

Evelyn is survived by her children Janis Prochera of Winnipeg, Donald (Sharon) of Burlington, Ontario and Robert (Syau-Cheng) of Ithaca, New York; her grandchildren Joelle (Jeff), Tiffany, Christopher (Christine), Ryan, Meghan and Alyson; her great-grandsons Owen and Eric; and by many nieces and nephews including Lorraine Lichacz, Valerie (Peter) Orlick, Hilary Cole and their children.

“Bound in the beating of each other’s heart, mothers and children are never parted.” She will be sorely missed by all.