Evelyn Anne Smith

Evelyn Anne Smith, Age 79 Of Clermont FL. Passed Away Peacefully On Good Friday, April 19, 2019. She Was Surrounded By Her Beloved Family. Evelyn Was Born January 8, 1940 To The Late William And Hannah Sinclair In Edinburgh, Scotland. She Is Preceded In Death By Her Two Sisters Margaret Burden And Wilma Burden. She Is Survived By Her Devoted Loving Husband Charles H. Smith of 59 Years, Two Brothers Andrew Sinclair And Leslie Sinclair, Three Sons Michael, David, And Alan, Three Daughter-In-Laws Donna, Dawn, And Leslie. She Was Also Adored By Her Four Granddaughters Bonnie, Brittany, Megan, And Ellie And Her Three Great Grandchildren Hannah, Emma, And Kent. Please Join Us To Celebrate Her Life On Saturday April 27, 2019 At Baldwin Fairchild East Altamonte Chapel, Visitation 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Followed By Funeral Service At 3:00 pm.

Evelyn Anne Smith

It was on Good Friday, April, 19 that Evelyn Smith slipped away into the morning with grace and peace. The last 4 months leading up to that day had not been easy for her and her health was clearly deteriorating, although she never gave up hope. She was determined to beat this illness and fought courageously to the end. Unfortunately her body became tired and weak from the effects of the Dialysis treatment. Her mind, heart and soul were as strong as could be and it gave her a sense of peace that during the last two weeks of her life she was able to spend loving quality time talking with her husband Chuck, sons Michael, David and Alan. Daughter in laws Donna, Dawn and Leslie. Granddaughter’s Bonnie, Brittany, Megan and Ellie. Great Grandchildren Hannah, Emma and Kent and who was just – like family – Alan. She was also able to talk to her brother and niece in Scotland. The day she made the decision to discontinue Dialysis she said she awoke that morning with a beautiful sense of peace. The day was filled with so much emotion for all of us. We found comfort in the kind words from the hospital staff when they described her unbelievable strength to us and how touched they were by her Family’s presence and that was a testament of what an incredible person she was. Sadly, in the end she succumbed to Renal Failure.

Evelyn Smith or Evelyn Anne Sinclair as she was then, was born on January 8, 1940 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The fourth of five children of William and Hannah Sinclair. She had two sisters and two brothers. Her sisters Margaret and Wilma have, sadly, already passed away. Her brothers, Andrew and Leslie live in England and Scotland. Her father, William was a Baker by trade and Mother, Hannah looked after the family and home. The apartment they lived in on Cumberland Street was very small for 7 people. She remembered always having to share a bed with her sisters and always getting their hand-me-down clothes. Times were tough back then, because of World War II.

In 1945 Evelyn started her education at Broughton Primary School. She attended a special class to overcome her speech impediment. As a result, she lost much of her Scottish accent unlike her brothers and sisters. After finishing primary school, Evelyn went on to Broughton Secondary School. She was an above average student with good grades and a pretty good Field Hockey Player. After finishing school she got her first job at age 16 at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh as a clerk in the Box Office, selling tickets for live on stage performances. She worked there for three years. At the theatre she had a friend Davina, which she spent a lot of time with.

In 1957 Evelyn’s friend, Davina, talked her into going to a USO event that was promoting Elvis Presley’s newest soundtrack. She liked some of his music and also liked the fact that she and Elvis shared the same Birthday, January 8th. Little did she know that’s where she would meet her future husband. That was the first time Evelyn and Chuck met.

Chuck was in the US Air Force and had arrived at Kirknewton Air Base, which was about 11 Miles outside of Edinburgh, Scotland. He arrived there just a few days before the USO event. The interesting story is that, prior to his arrival in Edinburgh, Chuck was finishing a year of college on the GI Bill in June 1957 and made the decision to reenlist. When he was given the choice of countries where he could be stationed, he felt drawn to Scotland.

A few days after the USO event, while walking along Princess Street in Edinburgh, Evelyn noticed a tall man, with wide shoulders, walking toward her. She was drawn to him because of his overcoat, blowing in the wind. As they got closer she noticed it was Chuck, the person she had met a few days earlier at the USO event. It was this, chance encounter that brought them together for the rest of their lives.

Evelyn introduced Chuck to her Mother and Brothers. Evelyn was 17 at that time and her Mother “Hannah” had reservations about her dating at that age, and also about dating an American service man. Once her Mother got to know Chuck better she relented a little. As things became more serious, they came to an understanding that Evelyn and Chuck would date for a year before making any commitment. After they became committed, they all agreed to a yearlong engagement.

The original date for their wedding was June 27, 1959. The wedding had to be rescheduled for the following Saturday because someone in the wedding party fell sick. This postponement made for a very special date when Evelyn married Chuck on July 4, 1959 at St. Stevens’s church in Edinburgh, Scotland. Evelyn and Chuck spent their honeymoon on the French Riviera.

Upon marrying Chuck, Evelyn entered into military life for the next 20 years. Her Husband’s job in the Air Force was primarily overseas, usually two year tours, and sometimes extensions were authorized. They lived in Italy for five years, 2 years the first tour and three years the second tour. After the first tour in Italy they spent two years in Turkey. Evelyn loved to shop in the open Bazar in Istanbul. Moving back to the United States in 1968, they spent a few years in Key West, which the kids loved. After their second tour in Italy, they were lucky to be assigned an extended four year tour in England which brought Evelyn closer to her family in Scotland. This tour in England was the final overseas tour before Chuck retired from the Air Force.

Evelyn’s first son Michael was born in 1961 in San Antonio, Texas, Her second son David was born in 1963 in Edinburgh, Scotland and her third son Alan was born in 1965 in San Antonio, Texas.

Evelyn moved to the United States shortly after she was married in 1960 to San Antonio, Texas. After having her first child, she studied to become an US citizen and after passing the test in 1962 she became an American citizen.

In 1970 while stationed in Key West, Chuck was sent to Vietnam for a 1 year tour of duty. Until this time Evelyn had been a housewife, taking care of 3 boys and the house, occasionally a dog, a cat, or a hamster, or 3 small turtles. She needed a bigger challenge and wanted to get back into the work force. The only problem was she didn’t know how to drive. So at the age of 28, after practicing, she was issued her first driver’s license. She secured a job as a teacher’s aide at May Sand Exceptional Child Center that dealt with problem students. She worked there for a year until Chuck returned from Vietnam and was reassigned to a new location in Italy. There were not a lot of job opportunities on the military base for Evelyn. She joined The British Wives Club, British women who had married American servicemen. It was more like a social club. They would organize beach parties, picnic outings, and barbeques. They had floor shows and beauty contests, Evelyn placed 2nd in one contest.

After 26 years in the Air Force, moving every few years to a new destination, Evelyn and Chuck decided it was time to retire from the military lifestyle and settle down. In 1978 they moved to Central, Florida and bought a house in Altamonte Springs.

Since Evelyn was use to the military lifestyle, she went to the Navel Military Training Center in Orlando and was hired as a cashier in the Main Exchange. Over the next couple of years she worked in different departments within the main exchange and quickly was promoted to higher positions. She worked there for 17 years before retiring in 1995. She started as a cashier and retired as the Manager of the Main Exchange. She made many lifelong friends while working there and kept in contact with them up until the last few days of her life. After retiring she spent her time enjoying her Granddaughters and Family. She liked to help organize birthday parties, special anniversaries, and holiday gatherings. Family was important to Evelyn, she could not have been happier than when she was cheering from the sidelines.

After she retired, Estee Lauder kept trying to recruit her to help sell their product at the Exchange. While manager of the Exchange, Evelyn was always dressed impeccably and had a way with customers. This is why Estee Lauder wanted her. In 1997, with extra time on her hands and missing the social interaction with customers, Evelyn chose to go back to work, part time, for Estee Lauder Cosmetics. Evelyn liked to talk to people, and even more important, she liked to really get to know them. No one was a stranger for very long, it was not possible, not for Evelyn.

After 40 years in the same house and at their age, Evelyn and Chuck decided it was time to downsize and move into something smaller and easier to maintain. They found a house in the Heritage Hills development in Clermont, a 55+ community. They moved into their new house in December, 2018. Evelyn missed her friendly neighbors from Altamonte Springs, Fizal, Margie, Donna, Paul and Sheila but at the same time was excited about designing and decorating each room of her new house. She had it almost complete when she started experiencing more serious health issues. But don’t you worry, she left that list with Chuck with the comfort of knowing he would bring her vision to fruition. She was a person with tremendous inner strength and that clearly helped as she struggled with her health issues over this past 4 months.

Throughout her life, Evelyn was selfless and extremely generous – especially when it came to her Children, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren. She had the kindest heart and gave to each of us unconditionally. She adored her Granddaughters, they were her world.

Today we give thanks for Evelyn and for all she has meant as a Wife, Mum, Aunt, Mother- in- law, Sister, Nana, Great Grandmother, one of the family and good friend.

We will miss her with all our hearts and will cherish the times we spent together. We will keep the promise we made to her that the family will continue to come together, not only in times of celebration but in times of need.

Cherish the memories you have of her and honor her memory by providing love to your family and friends, this is how she lived her life. “Her Life Was Her Family, and Her Family Was Her Life”.