Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Evelyn Beryl Roberts was born to Ethel and William Roberts in 1923, in Letcher, Kentucky. Evelyn was nicknamed "Cricket" early on by her grandfather because she was as little as a cricket.

Evelyn’s father worked as a coalminer, while her mother ran a bed and breakfast in Kentucky. Her father left when Evelyn was young. Evelyn was greatly influenced by her mother’s resilience and strength. After her mother remarried, Evelyn was happy to be joined by five siblings: Joann, Jerry, Happy, June, and Tommy. Family was very important to Evelyn. She even learned how to dance by watching her Aunts dance to music.

Evelyn moved in with her Aunt in LaPorte, Texas, where she graduated from LaPorte High School. She went on to earn her degree as a beautician at Houston Beautician College. As an experienced beautician who helped other women, Evelyn’s hair was always beautiful. She believed in a woman taking care of herself, dressing nicely, and often advised women to "powder your nose."

In Texas, Evelyn met a young man in the service named Kirtley Dollens. Her life changed. The couple was married in 1945. Soon, Evelyn’s sister, June, married Kirt’s brother, Clyde. With two sisters marrying two brothers, the foursome became best friends. In 1947, Evelyn and Kirt welcomed Kirt Jr. into the world and June and Clyde welcomed their son, Buddy. The two boys grew up together.

With his love of planes and flying, Kirt Sr. worked as an airline pilot for Trans World Airlines (TWA). As a result, Evelyn traveled around the world to New York for a weekend, to Europe, Paris, Italy, China, London, Scotland, or Ireland. In 1956, Kirt Sr. was transferred to Fullerton, California, where he continued with TWA working the route to Lockerbie, Scotland. Through it all, Evelyn embraced adventure in her life and enjoyed taking care of the house, providing three meals a day. She especially loved being a mom to Kirt Jr., supporting him in his love of baseball, football, and track. Kirt Sr. shared his love of flying with his son, sending Kirt Jr. to pilots’ school to earn his own pilot’s license.

Evelyn and Kirt had a big family in TWA with all of the pilots, pilots’ wives, and their children. They created so many wonderful memories together with their life-long friends.

In 1978, Evelyn was happy to take on the new title of "Bammaw" to her granddaughter Brandey. Evelyn especially enjoyed taking Brandey shopping so they could put on fashion shows. Kirt Sr. and Brandey also created their own play grocery store by lining up the groceries for sale. In 1980, Evelyn and Kirt Sr. retired to Arizona. In 1983, Evelyn was pleased to become a grandma for the second time to their grandson Shawn. Evelyn and Kirt Sr. liked watching Shawn play on a large TWA toy-airplane, ride a working tractor outdoors, and shovel gravel at their Arizona home.

Over the years, Evelyn loved to celebrate birthdays, holidays, and her talents soared as a chef at Thanksgiving. Christmas was her favorite holiday as she hand-sewed stockings and creative decorations. With her devotion and decades of activity in the Methodist Church, she shared her giving heart and spirit of generosity through her beliefs in God and the importance of charity. Evelyn also reached out to others by volunteering for 20 years at the Sun Health Boswell Memorial Hospital in Arizona.

Evelyn Dollens will best be remembered for living life to the fullest with her incredible, energetic, giving spirit. Her advice would be to enjoy a laugh, live life, travel, and be good to everybody.

As family was important to Evelyn, we remember those who preceded her in death with whom she is now reunited including her mother Ethel; her siblings Jerry, Happy, June, and Tommy; her husband Kirt Sr.; and her son Kirt Jr.

Evelyn is survived by many relatives who love her including her daughter-in-law Patty and her husband Don; granddaughter Brandey and her fiancé Daniel; grandson Shawn; great-granddaughter Karma; sister Joann; and nephew Buddy and his wife Peggy.

Memorial donations are welcome in Evelyn’s name to the American Heart Association (www.AmericanHeart.org).