Evelyn was born in Denver in 1924. She graduated from high school in Westminster and got married to a pilot in the Air Force when she was 18. Sadly, he was killed during the bombing of the Gilbert Islands, but Evelyn did remarry in 1947 to a farmer from Mead.
Her husband’s family bought an old stagecoach house on a farm in Johnstown in the 1930s. The house, built in 1863, is the oldest brick house in Weld County! Evelyn and her husband bought the farmhouse from his parents in 1952. She did everything on the farm, from driving tractors and trucks to raising chickens. She still owns the house and property today, where her son works the farm – pretty amazing!
Evelyn and her husband had four children, Margaret, Mary, Steve, and Susan, all of whom helped out on the farm while they were growing up. They could milk cows, drive tractors – they did everything. Evelyn remembers, “when I was out driving the tractor one day, and I looked at the house, and here was the oldest one, washing windows!”
Mary, Evelyn’s second-oldest daughter, was born with Cerebral Palsy but didn’t let that stop her from achieving her dream of becoming a teacher. She graduated from college, then went on to get her masters in teaching and is now living in Pennsylvania with her husband who is a chemist for the United States government.
Evelyn’s other three children still live locally. She has nine great-grandchildren, one of whom is about to give birth to her first great-great-grandchild!
While Evelyn was living on the farm, she didn’t have much time for hobbies. She was however drawn to cooking traditional German food often for her family since she and her husband’s ancestors descended from Germany.
Once, Evelyn and her husband traveled to Germany to visit his family. He fell ill and was taken to the hospital, where he surprised the German doctors by speaking fluent German. The doctors couldn’t believe it and all crowded around his bed. “It was really kind of cute,” said Evelyn.
Today, Evelyn enjoys her days at Grace Pointe Senior Care Community in Greeley. Her 96th birthday is coming up on November 18th, just 16 days after her friend Betty’s birthday. When joking that she and her friends are old, she also said, “I act like I’m not that old.”
We’re so grateful to know Evelyn, one of our favorite young-at-heart and sweet as can be residents!
