April 12 1938 September 17 2020
Evalyn Anne Gill April 12, 1938 – September 17, 2020 Share this obituary Send Flowers View/Sign Guestbook| Send Sympathy Card Evalyn Anne Rogers Gill was born April 12, 1938 in Hazen, Arkansas to Thomas Wesley Rogers and Ona Pearl Kee Rogers. Evalyn was the third of five children born in the Rogers family farmhouse. Evalyn passed away surrounded by her daughters, Angie & Vicki, on Thursday, September 17, 2020 after a valiant battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. During her childhood, Evalyn picked cotton and was responsible to iron the family and farmhands cotton denim overalls which led to a lifelong aversion to denim blue jeans. They grew most of their own food. Throughout most of Evalyn’s childhood, the family used a horsedrawn wagon to go to the market or to church. Evalyn walked a few miles from the farmhouse to begin studies in a one room schoolhouse in the area known then as “Rogers Chapel”. At age 12, she contracted Rheumatic Fever and spent three months at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas, followed by three months at a Rehabilitation facility in Jacksonville, Arkansas, about 45 miles from the family home. Upon her return, she lived with her maternal Great Aunt, Roxie Worsham Harper, so she could more readily walk to school in town, a few blocks away from their home. In school, Evalyn enjoyed Home Economics, where she learned to sew. She enjoyed participating in Choir and made long term friendships. She later told her children that she read as many books in the library of her small school as possible. Evalyn graduated in 1956 from Hazen High School and went on to begin nursing school the next fall at Arkansas Baptist System School of Nursing. During her first year in Nursing School, she met United States Air Force “Minuteman”, James Prather Gill on a blind date. Here is how this story was told: James “Prather” was originally from Louisicana, and temporarily stationed in Jacksonville, Arkansas, a few miles from Evalyn’s School. As James was one of the few young airman who owned a car, one of his fellow airman asked to borrow the car for a date with a young nursing student. Instead, James insisted his buddy find him a date and they would go “double”. On the second attempt to find a willing nursing student to go on a blind date, Evalyn agreed to accompany her nursing school friend and the two airmen. At that time, Evalyn had an affinity for a great smile. Unfortunately, James’ teeth were not in the best condition. After their first date, realizing they had “everything in common”, Evalyn knew she would marry James. As she said, “You can fix teeth!” For their second date, James called Evalyn at her school dorm. He asked her to go out with him again, and said to her for the first time of many, “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go!” She told James she would like to go “Oklahoma!”. [Mind you, they were in central Arkansas, and the state of Oklahoma was a border state.] During a long pause on the phone, James calculated in his mind how much gas money it would take to get Evelyn to the state of Oklahoma. He was thinking, “Why would a young Christian girl want to go to Oklahoma?” but then he promised to take her anywhere she wanted to go. Evalyn then explained that the movie, “Oklahoma!” had just opened in movie theaters, and she wanted to attend. They married on November 23, 1957, in Hazen and began what would be a 20-plus year career as a Military family. For his part, James always believed he had married ‘above his pay grade’. He never let one day pass without telling Evalyn she was pretty and that he loved her. Together they lived on bases in Shreveport, Louisiana; Blytheville, Arkansas; Rantoul, Illinois; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Lompoc, California; and Knob Noster, Missouri, until Jim retired from the US Air Force with 24 years’ service. The couple had four children: Jennie Pearl; Angie Virginia; Keith Floyd; and Vicki Lynne. Their three daughters, Jenni, Angie, and Vicki, were all born on the same day: September 3rd. This fact was a bragging point for James and Evalyn. Evalyn taught herself how to make “Doll Cakes” and annually made individual cakes for each girl to celebrate their combined birthdays. Evalyn was a true “Renaissance Woman”. She was a prolific reader and researcher of Geneology. She signed up for classes to learn areas which interested her. These included Gardening; Cake Decorating; Oil Painting and tatting (Lacemaking); and embroidery. She was a professional level seamstress and made countless wedding dresses often just for the cost of material for young women in her church or community. She made her own patterns when she was unable to find one ready made. James’ father, William Floyd Gill, would often send his daughter-in-law bolts of fabric and patterned flour sacks from his general mercantile shop in Louisiana. Her children would then sport matching play clothes made from that fabric. Evalyn’s beautiful and clear singing voice was a First Soprano. She sang in community choruses and church choirs in each city where the family lived. She was a member of Mothersingers in Cheyenne, Wyoming and a Barbershop Quartet known as Sweet Adelines in Lubbock, Texas. With each military move, Evalyn accepted the change graciously. It was her task to set up households; enroll the children in school; and together she and James would take the children to various churches until they found a church “Home”. This was a consistent response in each new city the family moved to. Evalyn started a custom cake decorating business after the family settled in Hazen, Arkansas when James retired from Military service. She took additional classes to learn various techniques of the “Wilton Method” of cake decorating. Once James joined the staff of the U.S. Post Office, the family moved to North Little Rock. In later years, they traveled the country on Post Office business. There was very little that seemed to ‘rattle’ Evalyn when it came to moving or change. During these years, Evalyn opened the family home to young adults. Every Saturday, they hosted lunch for the church’s single college and career members. They unofficially became “Mom and Dad” to young people whose family lived distantly. This segued to inviting college age children of foreign Baptist Missionaries who attended nearby Ouachita Baptist University to stay over at the house on holidays, weekends, and in some cases, entire summers if they were unable to travel to their home country. It was not uncommon to walk into the family home and have to step over various young people in sleeping bags on the living room floor, sofas and chairs. Meals were accompanied by everyone speaking a mixture of their respective native language and English. One of Evalyn’s additional talents was cooking in large quantities. No doubt she learned on the family farm growing up how to stretch a meal. No one went hungry at Evalyn’s home and there was always room for one more. Evalyn managed to feed so many, as often as they needed to do so on James’ salary. Many of the young ladies returned to Evalyn when they were preparing to marry, so she could make their wedding dresses or wedding cakes. James and Evalyn were members of the Order of Eastern Star. In addition to church dinners, Evalyn assisted with community dinners at the lodge frequently. The couple enjoyed traveling to various Eastern Star meetings in their state and others, and made lifelong friends though both Church and Eastern Star involvements. The joy of their middle and later years was becoming Grandparents. James retired in 1993 and the couple settled in Yuma, Arizona. When they learned Angie was expecting a daughter, they relocated to Crawford, Texas, where they pronounced themselves “PawPaw and Grandma”. Evalyn stated emphatically she would be taking care of her Granddaughter, Rebekah Lynne when Angie returned to work. They later followed Angie and Rebekah to Yuma, Arizona in 1998. When Austin was born in 2000, Evalyn became his first caregiver as well. When Rebekah Lynne married and later announced she was expecting a girl, James “PawPaw” Gill campaigned shamelessly to have Rebekah and Ryan name their daughter after his “CD” or Cutie Doll, Evalyn Anne. Throughout their marriage, he often randomly bought cards or pajamas for Evalyn, always labeling them to “CD”. After settling in Yuma, Evalyn and James Gill took on the role of “MamaBear” and “PawPaw Bear” to special friends and family Doctors, Mahesh and Sonal Subbu, and their twin sons, Manaav and Kunal. James and Evalyn also enjoyed a deep and abiding friendship with Charles and Georgia Tyson, which continued after Charles’ retirement as Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Yuma. Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 tells us there are times appointed for everything important. At her appointed time, Evalyn was greeted in Heaven by her beloved Jim; Daughter, Jenni Pearl Gill Moore; Son in Law, Gary Lee Moore; Parents Thomas and Ona Pearl Rogers; infant siblings, Janice and Danny Rogers, and niece Linda Sue Rogers Hickerson. Evalyn Anne Rogers Gill is survived by her brothers, Charles Lynval (Virginia) Rogers of Enid Oklahoma; Jimmy (Carole) Rogers of Hazen, Arkansas. Her children, daughters Angie (Philip) Roman; Vicki Gill, all of of Yuma, AZ; son, Keith Floyd Gill, of Oklahoma City, OK; and Grandchildren, Shelley (David) Brown of Conway, Arkansas; Rebekah (Ryan) Corbin, of San Antonio, Texas; Austin Philip Roman, Krystal (Jake) Arsaga of Yuma, Arizona; JoyLynne Roman of Visalia, CA. Evalyn’s Great Grandchildren include Corey, Jacob, and Ethan Brown; Trevor Salinger, Noah and Gabriella Remmy, and twins Luke and Soleiah Moralez; Lane, Blake and Dallas Arsaga; and her namesake Evalynne Rose and Rhett Corbin. Funeral Services will be held 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 26th at Immanuel Baptist Church, 1000 E 24th Street, in Yuma, Arizona. Services will be led by James and Evalyn’s Pastor, David Lindgens. Guests are requested to wear facemasks and practice social distancing to reduce risk of Coronavirus transmission. Final interment will be 1:00 p.m. on Monday, September 28th at the beautiful National Memorial Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona. Evalyn’s remains will be laid to rest along with the love of her life, MSgt James Prather Gill, Retired, United States Air Force. To send a flower arrangement to the family of Evalyn Anne Gill, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store. SERVICES Memorial Service Saturday, September 26, 2020 11:00 AM Immanuel Baptist Church 1000 East 24t Street Yuma, Az. 85365 Get Directions on Google Maps Print Obituary
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Evalyn Anne Gill April 12 1938 September 17 2020.
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Death notice for the town of: Yuma, state: Arizona