Mrs. Willie Mae Evans

Mrs. Willie Mae Evans, 97, had her transition on Saturday, January 10, 2015 at Azalealand Nursing Home surrounded by her loving family.


Funeral service for Mrs. Willie Mae Evans will be held 1:00PM, Saturday, January 17, 2015 at St. Paul C.M.E. Church located 1601 Barnard St.



Public viewing will be held from10:00AM-6:00PM, Friday at the funeral home.


OBITUARY:

Willie Mae Rakestraw Evans (Meme), age 98, passed into a well-deserved eternal rest on Saturday, January 10, 2015 at the Azalealand Nursing Home in Savannah, GA. She was the eldest of four daughters of the late William and Lucille Austin Rakestraw. A native Savannahian, she was a graduate of Cuyler Junior High School and attended the Georgia State College High School. She was joined in holy matrimony to Fred Benjamin Evans in 1934 and they soon became the proud parents of five children: William (Al), Jacqueline, Louis (Bennie), Dorothy and Walter. Upon moving the family to Beaufort, SC, she earned a degree in Home Nursing from the American Red Cross of Beaufort, SC and was employed for many years as a nurse at the Beaufort County Hospital and the U.S. Naval Hospital. Following the untimely death of her husband in 1952 during a hurricane, she moved her family to Hartford, CT where she continued her nursing career working in a physician's office, as a home health care nurse, and as a member of the Hartford (CT) Visiting Nurses Association. She returned to Savannah in 1979 where she moved to E. Liberty St., living independently in her home with the distinctive purple door, until her health began to fail in 2009.

She was a life-long and dedicated member of St. Paul's C.M.E. Church of Savannah where she served in the Missionary Society, the Service Guild and the Stewardess Board #2. She was blessed with an extraordinarily beautiful singing voice and she performed with the Cathedral Choir of St. Paul's. She also travelled and performed throughout the south for many years as a member of a regional glee club. Meme was a loving, nurturing caregiver and family was of the utmost importance to her. She was a strong Christian woman who successfully raised her own five children, but was known as a mother to many, many others. She enjoyed entertaining and celebrating, and delighted in decorating the inside and outside of her home for every holiday, year round. She enjoyed traveling and was seldom home, visiting friends and family around the globe. In turn, she opened her home to others, just as she opened her heart.

In addition to her parents, her husband and 3 sisters, she was predeceased by two sons, William A. Evans and Louis B. Evans, 2 grandsons, and 2 granddaughters. She leaves to mourn her passing two daughters, Jacqueline Brandon (of Yorba Linda, CA) and Dorothy Lucier (of Hartford, CT), one son, Walter O. Evans (Linda) (of Savannah), 13 grandchildren, and dozens of great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, her church family and many friends. She made a profound impact on all who knew her. She will be missed and remembered.

Viewing to be held Friday, January 16 from 10am-6pm at Adams Funeral Services, 510 Stephenson Ave., Savannah. Funeral services are planned for 1pm, Saturday January 17 at St. Paul C.M.E. Church, 1601 Barnard St., Savannah. Private interment. In lieu of flowers, or for those who wish to remember Meme in a special way, kindly make gifts in her memory to St. Paul C.M.E. Church of Savannah or to the Scholarship Fund of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her family wishes to recognize Azalealand Nursing Home of Savannah, and to thank the staff for the professional and compassionate care she received.


Please convey your thoughts and remembrances of Mrs. Evans using the links on website: www.AdamsFuneralServicesInc.com