November 14, 1922- January 9, 2014
Evelyn was born in the fishing village of Vogler’s Cove, Nova Scotia and worked for a short time as a Nanny in Halifax before a serious illness sent her home to recuperate. She married her first husband, Emerson Conrad, and raised her five children in an old house with no insulation, running water, nor central heating. It was a hard life but she loved her children. Evelyn never had a driver’s license but only gave up driving in Nova Scotia on the recommendation of the policeman who stopped her after a minor mishap when she went off the road and her husband’s beer spilled all over her.
She followed her husband out to Terrace, BC in 1965 where he had come to find work and spent some time as a clerk at The Hub back when it was the only store open after 6 pm in Terrace.
In 1969, Evelyn and her second husband Red (Oliver Baxter) began their meandering trip around BC following Red’s work in an attempt to find the right climate for his asthma; first going to the Ashcroft area, then on to Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, Coquitlam and north to Prince Rupert where he retired from the hardware store business and settled back in Terrace. When Red died of heart failure shortly after retiring, Evelyn lost her zest for living although she still loved to dance and had two friends, Bill Gyger and Ed Cote, who had the same love of an old-time waltz.
She moved in to the Tuck Avenue Senior Apartments and then in to a basement suite in her daughter Claire’s home before strokes and too many falls moved her up to Terraceview Lodge.
Evelyn was very community-minded and belonged to the Rebekah Lodge, the United Church of Canada, the Royal Canadian Legion Ladies Auxiliary and the Happy Gang Centre. She held various executive positions and enjoyed her volunteering.
Predeceased by her parents, Selborne & Jennie Conrad, brother Douglas, sisters Carrie and Edna, husbands Emerson and Oliver, grandson Trevor. She is survived by brothers Delbert and Alfred Conrad of Nova Scotia and sister Stella Fredrickson of Williams Lake, her daughter Christine (Gordon) Olson of Terrace, son Kenneth (Joy) Conrad of Maple Ridge, daughter Bonnie (James) Lohnes of Nova Scotia, daughter Claire (Rodney) Irwin of Terrace, son Bernard (Leslie) Conrad of Calgary; 11 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.
Evelyn died peacefully on the evening of January 9th at Terraceview Lodge with her family and very close friends surrounding her and her funeral was held at the Knox United Church with Wally Hargrave presiding and her grandsons as pallbearers.
The family cannot say enough about the excellent care that she received
from the staff at Terraceview Lodge who knew her as the “brooch lady” and the church was full of brooches at her funeral - what a way to send her off on her next adventure!