Evelyn Evans Powers

Evelyn Evans was born September 28, 1875 the daughter of Oliver Evans and Marrietta English, both of New York. On December31, 1896in Center Township, O’Brien Co., Iowa she married George Palmer Powers. Although other members of George’s extended family had been in Iowa for some time, George’s immediate family were only recent arrivals.
george and Evelyn’s family eventually grew to 9 with the progressive addition of Margaret, Albert, Floyd, Helen, Evelyn, Marietta, and lastly Norman in 1912. When the family later moved to Hollywood, Califonia Evelyn assisted her husband in managing their rental properties
Although her daughters’ divorced caused her some vexations, she kindly took in one of her daughter’s children for a time, while her daughter struggled along as a single mom in 1930s post-depression America.
In 1937, at the age of 62, Her husband, George, suddenly died, leaving Evelyn alone. It was about this time that she simply decided that she was “old”. From that point forward she spent considerable time just sitting in her rocking chair, enjoying the placidity of advancing years, and playing the part of the family matriarch, dealing out advice, opinions and warn, powder scented hugs to her grandchildren and great grandchildren. When the collective conversation proved too clamorous, she simply turned off her hearing aid and shut the world out.
Once her daughter Evelyn’s children were out on their own, the two lived together in one of their rental units. Often the site of family dinners and reunions, the two made good use of their extended living room… Chesterfield Square, a city park across the street from their triplex. Life continued Quietly until her daughter’s death in 1964. For a time Evelyn Lived with her son, Floyd, then with another daughter, Helen, in Santa Maria. It was there, on the morning of October 29, 1966 that the beloved great-grandmother died of a heart attack at the age of 91