Passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 10, 2012 in her home in Coulee City after a brief illness following her diagnosis of lung cancer. Her family was beside her. She was born on April 30, 1923 in Coulee City, Washington to Clate and Clara (Willis) Eggleton. She joined sister Louise and brother Frank. Growing up, they lived in both Coulee City and Almira. She attended school in both towns and Sunday services at the Coulee City First Presbyterian Church. She spent a lot of time with her siblings out doors and wished that she could have competed at hurdles in track and field because of all the fence jumping that she and her brother did playing around town. Evelyn graduated from Coulee City High School in 1942 and was married that same year to Frank M. Travis. He was an Air Force Sergeant from New Mexico stationed then at an Air base in Ephrata, WA. Evelyn was working as a civilian on base driving a supply truck. Life in the air force allowed them to travel often and live all over the United States. They also were stationed twice in Germany. Although being away from her family was hard, living in Europe was a dream come true. Their daughter Barbara was born in 1945 while back in Washington state, and they continued their travel, which she loved, for many years. No matter where the air force sent them though, Evelyn always considered Coulee City their home base. She and Barbara eventually moved back to Coulee City for good. In 1972 she married Stanley K. Gibson. They made their home in Portland for many years. Stan worked for the school district and Evelyn worked as a restaurant manager. Her standards of cleanliness and customer service were very high. Those standards earned her the nickname of “Sarge” from her husband Stan as well as the many patrons of the restaurant. She and Stan sold their house in Portland and moved back “home” to Coulee City in 1987 to retire and be close to family again. Evelyn was an excellent correspondent. She made many close friends during her lifetime and wrote letters regularly to them up until her death. She also enjoyed dancing, shopping, reading, going to the beach, and collecting. While abroad, she started a collection of Hummel figurines which were a source of stories and memories of Europe. Later on she started collecting angel figurines and displayed them all over her shelves. Little things meant a lot to her. A handwritten note or a flower picked by a child were important to her. To Evelyn, family and friendship were everything. One of her best attributes was her caring heart and empathy for animals in need. Over her lifetime she had many beloved pets and saw to it that no animal that came to her house was hungry or hurting. She believed strongly in preventing unwanted pet populations and often provided the means for veterinary care for needy animals. Evelyn was preceded in death by her parents, sister Louise and brother-in-law Howard Jorgensen, brother Frank and sister-in-law Louise Eggleton, husband Frank Travis, husband Stan Gibson, niece Joanne Hooper, and son-in-law Harry Edgemon. Survivors include her daughter Barbara and John Triplett of Coulee City, granddaughter April and Dennis Pinar Jr. and great-grandchildren Callie and Jeremy Pinar of Almira, Stan’s daughter Gail Winegarden of Brush Prairie, WA, along with grandchildren Rene and Nadine, great-grandson Alec, and many nieces and nephews very dear to her heart. Evelyn felt like she had a good, long life. She had a lot of fun and parted with a lifetime of memories. She passed with strength, dignity and grace due to her own fortitude and the comfort that was provided by hospice. She was happy to still be living at home independently, and that she had a close and loving family. A Celebration of Life Memorial services will be held on Saturday, June 30, 2012 at 11:00AM at the Coulee City First Presbyterian Church. Those wishing to make memorials in Evelyn’s name are encouraged to give to the Grant County Humane Society at 6725 Randolph Rd Moses Lake, WA 98837 or the Corinna Felker “DRIVE FORE” Cancer Foundation at P.O.Box 55 Almira, WA 99103. Strate Funeral Home, Wilbur, WA is caring for the family.
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