- Date Of Birth: November 19, 1926
- Date Of Death: June 22, 2021
- State: Iowa
Evelyn Laurene (Edholm) Silver, left her earthly body to be with her Lord and Savior on June 22, 2021, surrounded by family at their home. Evelyn was born November 19, 1926, on her Grandma Bessie Chase’s Family Farm, outside of a little town known as Deer Creek, Minnesota, in Otter Tail County. Daughter of Hazel Ruth May Chase and Arthur Eugene Edholm, in the presence of her Grandmothers Bessie Johnson Chase and Grandmother Anna Andersdotter Anderson Edholm.
Evelyn was raised on the farm until she was 6 and her parents moved to Port Orchard, Washington, (leaving many relatives there) where the air better suited her dad’s asthma. Later moving to a home in Bremerton, Washington, on her Aunt Ingrid (Edholm) and Uncle Tom Emery’s homestead, where her Uncle Tom renovated an old chicken coop into a pretty nice bungalow for their family to live until they could get on their feet and purchase their own home. When Evelyn’s baby brother came along a few months later in 1932, she became an older, mentoring sister to her brother, Gene Arthur Edholm.
Evelyn attended and graduated in 1944 from Bremerton High School at the age of 17 in a class of 524 classmates.
Evelyn had her first job at the age of 9 working for her Aunt Ingrid in her aunts sewing shop called, “We Make Em”, in Bremerton, WA. This is where Evelyn learned the art of dressmaking and seamstress work and became so proficient that she wanted to pursue fashion design. At the age of 16 she was a department manager at a Chinese Dollar Family-owned Department Store with very fond memories of the store and the family. Instead of going into dress design, Evelyn met her husband, Wilbur Dale Silver in a movie theater line at age 17, when he was on shore leave while in the US Navy. They kept in close contact via mail and phone calls until the war ended and he returned to Bremerton, with his mom and youngest brother, to marry her on September 3, 1946. He was 23 and she was 19. Evelyn made her own wedding gown for their big day! She left her family and they immediately returned to Altoona, Iowa to live.
Through the years, Evelyn and Wilbur lived in Altoona, Ankeny, and Berwick, Iowa. Having given birth to all five of their children while living on the Silver family farm outside of Berwick, Iowa, they eventually bought a home in Dallas Center, Iowa, where they raised their five children and helped to raise several grandchildren. They lived there for 35 years before moving to West Des Moines, back to Dallas Center, then to Alleman, Iowa, where they lived for 16 years until they moved in with their daughter, Linda, and son-in-law, Dwane Estes, in Windsor Heights, Iowa, in August of 2016, while daughter Linda, cared for them.
They celebrated their 70th anniversary on September 3, 2016, before Wilbur’s passing on December 20th, 2016.
Evelyn worked in sales at Sears and Younkers and as a Keypunch Operator at Look Magazine and National-by-Products, all in Des Moines. She then worked as a Homemaker and Tailor for everyone in Dallas Center, Iowa.
Evelyn is survived by four of her loving children: Dale (Linda), Gary (Peggy), Lyle (Tami), and Linda (Dwane) Estes; grandchildren: Kari Peterson, Crystal Silver (Alan Yong), of CA; Matthew, Jeremy (Sheri), & Jamey “Jay” (Julianna), all of WA, Chris (Laura), of IA, Thomas Davey, of IA, and Jenna Silver, of IA; step-granddaughter, Katie Ristau-Estes (Tony Heard) of ILL.; 10 great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Virginia (Hunt) and Christine (Hart) Silver; brother-in-law, Keith Silver, as well as many nieces/nephews with the Silver and Edholm Families and many relatives with the Silver, Thornton, Vertz, Lucas, Chase, Edholm, Johnson, and Convers Families.
Evelyn was preceded in death by her loving husband of 70 years, Wilbur; son, Paul; parents, Art and Hazel Edholm; brother, Gene; mother/father-in-law, Roy O. and Winnifred Silver; in-laws, Roy W. and wife Viola “Louise” Silver; Wilma Silver; Donald and Phyllis Silver; Evelyn (Silver) Williams-Little, Dale Williams and James Little; Ralph and Carl Silver; sister-in-law, Shirley (Brown) Silver; nephews, Russell and Richard Silver and Jerry LeCroy; great-niece, Lanette LeCroy and great-nephew, Mark Silver; and nephews-in-law, Wayne Dunn and Chuck Nicodemus.
Evelyn will be greatly missed by her family, extended family and friends.
