Evelyn found joy in her seven boys and realized sadness when her son, Leonard, was killed in a car accident. Evelyn says, “That’s a pain that never changes or goes away.” She lost her son in 1980 and her husband in 1990.

When I went to the hospital in 2000 I was ready to die. I was having multiple problems and surgeries. I didn’t care because I was going to a better place, but God wasn’t ready for me yet.

Things that bring me joy are writing poems and music. I’ve been copy-writed five times. My poem about Mt. Saint Helens was published in the Lewis River News. It’s hard for me to accept compliments or believe in myself however. I also ran a ceramics shop for thirty years.