Evelyn Marie Wilkie

Evelyn Marie Wilkie, 89, passed away Friday, August 8, 2014 in Great Falls with her children close by her side.A rosary will be held on Thursday, August 14, 2014 at 9:30 a.m. with the funeral liturgy at 10:00 a.m. both at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.Evelyn was born March 23, 1925 in Maryville, ND. One of fourteen children Evelyn left home in the 1940's to work in the shipyards of Seattle. She returned to North Dakota and married the love of her life, Vernon, on October 7, 1947. The family spent several years around the Conrad area working on local farms and ranches and moved to Choteau in 1962. After moving to Great Falls in 1969 Evelyn enjoyed working at the Perkins restaurant. A wonderful seamstress, Evelyn spent many years at the Wedding Cottage preparing dresses for local brides well into her seventies.She was a wonderful mother and enjoyed spending time with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.Evelyn is survived by her son Fred Wilkie of Great Falls and his daughters Danielle (Nick) Haldeman of Illwaco, WA and Ashley (Eric) Hendrickson and their son Alder Hendrickson from Seattle, WA; daughter Paulette (Doug) Simmons and their daughter Courtney (Matt) Holmes and their daughter Jersey Holmes all from Great Falls; daughter Suzanne (Tom) Johnston of Livermore, CO, their son Tyson (Abby) Johnston and their daughter Issabelle Johnston and son Tatum Johnston from Littleton, CO, and their daughters Bailey Johnston of Denver, CO and Alexus Johnston of Los Angeles, CA; son Andre (Raelene) Wilkie and their daughters Caitlin Wilkie, Brennan Wilkie and Morgan Wilkie all of Golden, CO; one surviving sister, Annette Berube, of Fresno, CA; along with many other nieces and nephews spread throughout the United States.Her husband Vernon passed away on August 21, 1985 at the age of 64. They spent many enjoyable trips together while living in Choteau fishing at Eureka and other area lakes. They were always busy raising their five children and helping out with their grandchildren.Her daughter Kathy Dane passed away on October 31, 2013 in Great Falls. Evelyn remained close to Kathy's husband C.J. and their sons Tom Dane and his children Kyla Dane, Karsen Dane and Casey Dane and her son Shawn (fianc, Kim) Dane and his daughter Tahnee Walters and his grandson Easton Heilman.Evelyn was preceded in death by her parents Arthur and Victorine Berube;husbandVernon; daughter Kathy Dane;and her infant daughter Carol Ann Wilkie.She was a wonderful dance partner. She and Vernon loved to dance and were usually the best couple on the dance floor. After Vernon's death Evelyn enjoyed her time out dancing with friends at the Great Falls Vets Club and Eagles Manor. She was an avid sports fan and watched many hours of football, baseball and golf on television. Her favorite athlete was Tiger Woods and she was his biggest supporter during his recent off course problems. She was not afraid to voice her feelings in a strong manner and everyone that knew Evelyn knew she would give you her honest opinion whether you agreed with her or not.Evelyn loved her grandchildren and they were all special to her. You can witness her love by the way they respected her and gave back the love they received. Then along came her great-grandchildren Kyla, Casey, Karsen, Jersey, Izzy, Tatum and Alder. You could see by the way she looked at these great-grandchildren and by the way she held them that her love was overflowing and her life was truly fulfilled. They will all miss her chocolate cake with the brown sugar frosting!Evelyn enjoyed her trip to Las Vegas for her eightieth birthday with her children and her visits to Palm Springs to enjoy the family. She was introduced to the Pina Colada by her son-in-law Tom, and it quickly became her favorite cocktail.Evelyn spent the last few years of her life living with her son Fred. He along with Kathy, C.J., Paulette and Doug were her primary caregivers. The entire family is forever grateful to them for the kindness they bestowed on mom and the time they spent making mom comfortable in her later years. Mom was always eager to share her health secrets with Fred (and the rest of the family) while living with him, and she played a major role in nurturing Fred back to health during his recent recovery from illness.Evelyn spent the last seven months of her life in the Reflections at Grandview and she was appreciative of how caring the staff was to her and how accommodating they were to make her comfortable. Her family wishes to express their gratitude to the entire staff at Reflections for their kindness.The family suggests that memorials be made to Peace Hospice, 1101 26th St S, Great Falls, MT 59405; Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, 409 13th St S, Great Falls, MT 59405; or a charity of your choice.