Nellie May Evans

Evans, Nellie May March 29, 1954 – April 12, 2016

Nellie Evans passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Tuesday, April 12, 2016 after a brief battle with cancer at the age of 62 years. Nellie will be dearly missed by husband Pat Evans; four children Sherry MacLennan (Phil) of Dartmouth, NS, Ernest Taylor of Edmonton, Christine Evans and Jessica Evans, both of Calgary; four grandchildren Jacob, Nathan and Matthew MacLennan and Evan Taylor; seven brothers and sisters; and many other relatives and friends. Nellie was predeceased by four siblings. A Funeral Service will be held for Nellie at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – Heritage Chapel (935 Heritage Drive SW, Calgary) on Monday, April 25, 2016 at 10:30 am. If friends desire, memorial tributes may be made to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Perpetual Education Fund. More information and messages of condolence may be forwarded to the family at www.piersons.ca.

Biography of Nellie May Evans Nee Macumber

Nellie was born in New Glasgow Pictou County, Nova Scotia, into a very large maritime family, as daughter of James Alfred Macumber and Agnes Moore of Thornburn. Nellie grew up on a farm, and has many childhood memories of the shenanigans that she and her many siblings got into. She attended school at Thornburn elementary school, and East Pictou Rural High. Moving to Windsor Hants Co (at 16) to work at Windsor Wear Clothing manufacturing and at the Metropolitan store as a traveling manager. Nellie had married young, and soon afterwards divorced her first husband, making her a single mother. As a single mother she was determined to provide the very best she could for her children. Nellie returned to finish high school in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia; she did this while raising her two only children at the time (Sherry and Ernest), who were very young. Afterwards she went to nursing school, graduating with her class and two major nursing awards, and quickly started her career as a nurse. She worked in many areas as a nurse, including newborns, surgery, even the ER. She worked many long hours as a nurse, often collapsing in her bed when she got home, but yet she managed to serve in her community and raise her two children as a single mother. Nellie moved out west, where she met and married her current Husband, Pat Evans, and had her two youngest daughters (Christine and Jessica). She became an RN (retired nurse) and worked various jobs to help support her husband going to school, and didn’t have as long of hours as nursing did. In Calgary she became a children’s behavioral aid. This job brought her endless joy, often telling stories that made her laugh or that made her proud of the kids she worked with at diner. She worked very closely with these kids and would go the extra mile to see them succeed and gain confidence. Her greatest love was sales. She loved getting a good deal, or finding treasures at a garage sale. She often would plan Friday night of the intended good garage sales and rummage sales, with a time budget to go to the ones she saw signs for along the way. She collected many goods for family and friends from these sales. However there was one item she loved to find above all others, chairs, she loved free chairs, and often came home with a chair in the back seat of her small Toyota. She loved to barter and got great joy from the deals she got, and taught her children, husband, and the kids she worked with to barter, so much so some of her children have a problem to this day of buying something at full price, especially in a situation where there could barter. Nellie was fascinated with genealogy and family history at a young age. She worked hard to chart family trees, photograph grave sites, and collect family documents, stories, and when possible photos of those family members. She would travel and visit family, even dedicating whole vacations to collect these precious stories and information, long before they became lost. The only hobby that might surpass her love of genealogy, was gardening. She loved flowers, plants and trees. She always had a big garden of flowers, fruits and vegetables, regardless of how good the soil was. She was always willing to help someone learn gardening tricks, and often shared what she grew. She loved every flower, but her favorite were long lasting flowers and wild flowers, including dandelions, pussy willows, and mayflowers, strangely though she was not a big fan of roses, due to their short life as cut flowers, and proneness to aphids. She loved many flowers that most people considered weeds, and would admire them, with one exception goldenrod. Goldenrod is considered to be a weed, yet in western Canada is often grown as a flower, and she could never let go of her maritime views of goldenrod. Nellie was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and faithfully served in numerous church callings, as a cub leader, a ward activity co-coordinator, a camp nurse to the YM and YW, and until her death as a Primary teacher to the four year olds, family history consultant, and a temple worker for the Calgary Alberta LDS temple. In fact it would appears the only callings she did not hold where that of the Bishopric. She served faithfully and full heartedly in every calling, touching many hearts through her callings, both those in and out of the church. Nellie loved to administer to the sick, and lend a hand to those in need, and it showed. She was among the first to offer help, and didn’t leave until the work was done. She spent many evenings visiting those who were sick; bringing them dinner and cleaning houses for those who were moving. She had a laugh that could be heard anywhere in a building. She found joy in children, and loved to be with them, even her favorite Sacrament meeting at church each year was the primary presentation, when the children take over. She loved teaching her most recent primary class of four, four-year-old girls, who kept her on her feet and could always make her laugh. She always knew what needed to be done, and was not afraid to do it, or say it. She was a hard worker, or as she would describe, she was from good peasant stock, often outworking people even those who were much younger who could move much faster than herself.