Helen Rebecca Evans

(1928 – 2021)

Helen Rebecca Shields Evans died of natural causes on June 8, 2021, in Puyallup Washington after a long life, well lived.

Helen was born in Denver, Colorado on August 9, 1928. Her parents were Joseph Welcome Shields and Rebecca Ann Rundell Shields. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Colorado where they worked on cattle ranches. On April 1, 1930, the family moved to the “66 Ranch,” north of LaGrange in southwestern Wyoming. On September 25, 1930, Helen’s brother Frank Clifford Shields was born on the “66 Ranch.” In the spring of 1931, the family moved back to southwestern Iowa where they lived on several farms near Siam, Braddyville and New Market.

Helen played and lettered in basketball at New Market High School. Their team went to the state championship tournament in 1947, the year Helen graduated from High School. She enrolled at the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing in Denver, CO in 1948 and graduated in 1951. She worked as a registered nurse and nursing supervisor in the Denver metro area for forty years.

Helen married Luther (Lu) Eugene Evans in November of 1949. They had five children – William, Cinda, Joleen, Roxanne and John. He passed away in 1986. She lived in Aurora, Colorado from 1961 to 2020.

Helen stayed active all her life as she loved long hikes outdoors, skiing, and tennis. Later in life she enjoyed her exercise classes with friends at the Aurora Center for Active Adults. She was dancing Zumba and practicing Pilates and yoga at ninety! She was an excellent tennis player.

She was an avid reader and enjoyed using the Central Public Library and the Hoffman Heights Library. She also frequently visited the Friends of the Aurora Public Library Store.

Helen enjoyed gardening and canning. Her family and friends will not forget her delicious plumb jam she made every year for decades from her plumb tree on the south side of her house. The plumb tree was grown from a shoot off her father’s plumb tree. Nor will we forget her homemade applesauce and apple butter made from the stunningly large apple tree in her backyard.

Her care for the environment led her to fully xeriscape her front yard with recycled objects found on her long walks through the Sand Creek area of Morris Heights in Aurora, Colorado. She regularly recycled cans and plastic bottles she picked up as she helped to keep the areas she walked in free of trash.

Her favorite colors were green, peach and coral. She solved logic and crossword puzzles daily. She baked delicious pumpkin pies, sweet potato pies, cherry cobbler and cranberry oat bars for the holidays.

She travelled frequently with her partner of 20+years, Colorado author Curtis W. Casewit, in the 1980s-1990s to Morocco, Germany, Italy and Switzerland and many places in North America.

She tutored elementary school aged children in reading in an afterschool program through Aurora Public Schools for several years.

She attended and served as a treasurer at the First United Methodist Church of Aurora, tithing regularly across several decades.

In Summer of 2020, she moved to Puyallup, Washington to live with her daughter, Joleen and Joleen’s husband, Jim.

Helen was strong willed and fiercely independent, sharp in humor and intellect, reliable, courageous, adventurous, and generous. We will always love and miss her.

Helen is survived by her brother, Frank of Scottsdale Arizona. She leaves behind her five children: Bill (Lan), Cindy, Joleen (Jim), Roxanne (Steve) and John. Eight grandchildren: Stephanie (Jason), Melissa (John), Brian, Dustin, Adam (Zoe), Megan, Vu and Minh. Great-grandchildren: Ian, Emelia, Joshua, Brandon, Margaret, Katharine, Nora. Nieces: Stacie (Marvin) and Kristie. Nephew: Joe. Great-niece: Jillian.

Many thanks are due to her daughter Joleen and son-in-law Jim, the staff at Bonaventure of Puyallup, as well as Franciscan Hospice and Palliative Care staff for taking care to ensure Helen was comfortable in her last months.

As per Helen’s request there will be a private cremation and no funeral services.

Donations may be made in her memory to Friends of the Aurora Public Library at https://www.fapl.info/, the Aurora Museum Foundation at http://www.auroramuseumfoundation.org/donate/ or the Franciscan Hospice and Palliative Care online at www.chifranciscan.org/give.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy for Helen’s family may be shared at www.millsandmillsfunerals.com . Tumwater, Washington.