Evelyn M. Connors

Evelyn M. Connors, 92, of Black Lake (Cheboygan), died Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at McLaren Northern Michigan in Petoskey. Born December 1, 1925 and raised in Mount Pleasant, Evelyn was the daughter of John and Ada (Egbert) Williams. She was a 1943 graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School. On May 15, 1948 Evelyn married James D. Connors at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Mount Pleasant. They were blessed with nearly 59 years of marriage.

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Evelyn worked on the assembly line at Ferro Manufacturing in Mount Pleasant for 40 years before moving to Black Lake in 1983. Evelyn then worked at the B & C Family Center in Cheboygan for several years before retiring. Devoted to her Catholic faith, Evelyn was a longtime parishioner at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Mount Pleasant and then at St. Paul Catholic Church in Onaway. She was a member of the Altar Society at St. Paul.  An active member of the Onaway Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 5857 Women’s Auxiliary, Evelyn was in charge of collecting dues each year, cooked and served at the Fourth of July chicken barbecue every summer, helped with funeral dinners, the Friday night fish fry, blood drives, and numerous other activities at the VFW post.

Evelyn enjoyed knitting and crocheting. She made hundreds of hats, mittens and blankets that she donated to charity and gave as gifts. She also loved to read. Black Lake held a special place in Evelyn’s heart. Coming to the area since the 1940s, Jim and Evelyn enjoyed summer vacations and hunting at Black Lake long before they made Black Lake their home. This past September, Evelyn did quite a lot of traveling. At nearly 92 years of age, Evelyn made a trip to Washington, D.C. with her son and grandson. They visited many of the monuments and Arlington National Cemetery. She also visited her sister-in-law in Nevada.  Both trips were wonderful for Evelyn and she truly enjoyed herself. Evelyn was hardworking and very dedicated to accomplishing her tasks. She was loving, friendly, kind and honest. Her gentle smile and beautiful laugh will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Surviving Evelyn is her son, James D. Connors Jr. “Jim” of Black Lake; grandsons, David (Becky) Connors of Mt. Pleasant and Joseph (Liz) Connors of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; one great-grandson, Gavin Connors of Mt. Pleasant; and her little dog, Brandy. Evelyn also leaves three sisters-in-law, Mary Bower of Pahrump, Nevada, Dorothy Connors of Mt. Pleasant and Jean Williams of Farwell; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Evelyn was preceded in death by her husband, Jim, on St. Patrick’s Day in 2007; sister,

Ellarena Ackerman; brothers, John, Chester and Donald Williams; and half-brothers, Albert and Alvin Williams.

Visitation was held at the Chagnon Funeral Home Friday, December 22, where the Onaway VFW Women’s Auxiliary began their service followed by a prayer service and rosary.  A memorial Mass will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Mount Pleasant in May of 2018 followed by urn burial at Calvary Cemetery in Mount Pleasant.  In lieu of flowers, it was Evelyn’s wish that donations in her memory be made to St. Paul Catholic Church, St. Paul Altar Society, or Onaway VFW Post 5857 and Auxiliary.

Condolences may be shared with Evelyn’s family at www.chagnonfh.com.