Obituary: Evelyn Alice Bowlby, Hood River
Evelyn Alice Bowlby
Evelyn Alice Bowlby was born to John & Marie (Jerke) Kanable on July 9, 1929, in Fargo, North Dakota, and was baptized in the Lutheran church. She was the youngest of four children, and was fondly nicknamed “Tiny”. At the age of e11, she moved with her parents to join family in Hood River, Oregon.
Evelyn always had a strong work ethic. From the age of eleven years old, she worked at the Hood River Cannery/Cafeteria. There she learned how to bake her delicious pies and bread rolls, loved by all. Part of her job was to stand on a box in order to reach the menu board to write the specials of the day. In her teen years, she worked in a local soda fountain as a “soda jerk” making malts. While working at Ebbie’s Market, Wayne Bowlby persuaded Evelyn to go on a date because he wanted a “beautiful wife and five children”.
Evelyn graduated from Hood River High School in the Class of 1947 and married Wayne Frank Bowlby on September 12, the same year. They raised their family of five in the Hood River Valley until they moved to Portland, Oregon in 1959. Evelyn was a dedicated homemaker and loving mother. She volunteered for many organizations including Camp Fire Girls, Boy Scouts of America, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and her local Lutheran Church. She was a member of St. Luke Lutheran Church and served on the Altar Guild for over thirty years. In her later years, she was a receptionist at Natural Image Salon where she always offered a cookie with a smile.
The center of Evelyn’s life was her faith. She took great pride in her faith and was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church. She considered one of her greatest life accomplishments to be that all five of her children were baptized and confirmed in the faith as well.
Evelyn was the homemaker extraordinaire. She sewed most of the clothing that her children wore, as well as many clothing items for extended family and friends. Her children had wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses fashioned exclusively for them. In later years their children especially enjoyed their annual gift of matching Christmas pajamas, sewed for each one. Evelyn was masterful with the household budget and bookkeeping. She managed to present beautiful meals and celebrations, always able to create lasting memories “on a shoestring”.
Evelyn went to her heavenly home on April 16, 2022. She is survived by daughters Susan (Gary) Tremper Portland, Anna Bowlby Portland, Gail (Terry) O’Donel West Linn, Karen (Mike) Foster Federal Way, and daughter-in-law Janis Bowlby Newberg. She was a grandmother to 12 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Wayne, son Frank, grandson Aaron, and siblings Alma Mark Kasken Seattle, Virginia Tanner Tillamook, and Harold Kanable Boring Or.
A Celebration of life service will be held 2:00 P.M., Saturday, May 7, 2022 at St. Luke Lutheran Church (4595 S California St, Portland, OR 97219). Evelyn was laid to rest at Idlewilde Cemetery in Hood River, Oregon (2:00 P.M., Friday, April 22, 2022).
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Luke Lutheran Church (altar guild), Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, or the charity of your choice.
Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
