Funeral Services For Evelyn Wright

Funeral Services for Evelyn Wright, age 92, of Lake Andes, South Dakota, formerly of O’Neill and Stuart area, will be at 1:00 P.M., Friday, January 22, 2016, at Biglin’s Mortuary in O’Neill, with visitation one hour before services. Burial will be in the O’Neill Calvary Cemetery. Fr. Bernard Starman will officiate. Evelyn passed away Friday, January 15, 2016, at the Lake Andes Health Care Center in Lake Andes, SD. Memorials may be made to the Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital Housekeeping Department.

Evelyn was born in her grandmother’s sod house in Dawes County, NE, near Chadron, on October 3, 1923, to Al and Ethel Kelly. She went to different schools through 8th grade, then went to work for a family that had 14 children for $2.00/week. She later worked doing laundry in Chadron, NE, for 3 years, then went on to wait tables and that is where she met her husband Richard Wright. They were later married in Lusk, WY, in 1944.

Evelyn worked at many different jobs throughout her life. She worked in the veteran’s hospital, and she worked as a cook out in the sandhills of Nebraska on ranches. She was a housekeeper in the rest homes and the hospital for the longest, better than 13 years. Evelyn lost her husband on April 2, 1963.

They had 3 children: Richard J Wright, Karen Kay Wright, and Linda Louise Wright. After losing her mother in October of 1962 and her husband soon after, it was more than she could handle and she was in the state hospital for 6 months. After she came home, she went back to the hospital and worked in the laundry for a while and also heled out in surgery with supplies. She attended Michigan State University in 1967 to complete her courses on Hospital Surgery Cleaning and Supplies. After that, she was Executive Head of Housekeeping for the hospital and was there over 13 years. She then moved to Wayne, NE, and cleaned in the Wayne Nursing Home and then Wayne State College in the Fine Arts Department.

​After hurting her back and being unable to work, she moved to Naper, NE. When her special friend, Pete, got Alzheimer’s and was in the Stuart Nursing Home, she moved to an Apartment in Stuart to be close to him for visits. While in Stuart, she loved making jelly for everyone, loved to embroider tea towels, pillow cases, ect. She attended Mass with neighbor Gertie Bott, and ate pancakes at church. Evelyn stayed in her apartment until she got sick and was brought to Lake Andes Rest Home in May of 2009. She stayed there until her death on January 15, 2016. She is survived by her children: Richard J. Wright of Miltonvale, KS, Karen Wright Papke Corkle of Armour, SD, Linda Wright Hoyer Christensen and her husband Melvin of Lake Andes, SD, 11 Grandchildren, 26 Great Grandchildren, 3 Great Great Grandchildren, one brother, Harold Kelly and wife Rosalie of Kilgore, NE, and 4 special children; Cecilia, Deb, Earl, and Mike.

​She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Richard, and 7 siblings: Earl, Patrick, Fred, Bernard, Darlene, Rosella, and Donie Kelly, and special friend Pete.

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