Obituary

Evelyn Eileen Bresch entered this world June 6, 1928, in Flint, Michigan. Evelyn departed for her heavenly home, July 18, 2024, in Mesa, Arizona, at the Desert Garden Home. She was 96 years old.

Though proud of her Michigan heritage with its Vernors and Sanders fudge, Evelyn relocated to California with her mother August 1955 joining a host of relatives that had already moved to sunny Southern Cal. She now returns to be interred next to her father at Oakview Cemetery in Royal Oak, Michigan. With having lived to such a long age, plus never physically able to connect to a church group in Mesa and having lost contact with her last church in San Clemente, there will be no official service.

Many of her friends and most of her family are in that heavenly balcony. She was preceded in death by her father and mother, Riley and Tillie Bresch, her sister, Shirley Wacker, cousins William Tenpenny, Jim Anderson, Peggy Anderson, and a large number of uncles and aunts. She leaves to mourn nieces, LaNay Wacker, Crystal (Wacker) and David Knapp, cousins Philip and Dottie Tenpenny and Olivia Tenpenny.

Through the 96 years of Evelyn’s journey, in every twist
and turn, she lived out her life verse from Proverbs 3:6, “In
all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”

Wacker & Knapps  2004 Glen St, Springdale, AR 72762  www.reachupmag.org  917-531-9890 Evelyn brushed aside questions about her personal past. So, when she gave her life to Jesus is known only between her and the Lord. But that she did, is undeniable as her life bears witness. We found a sweet, in childish handwriting, letter she wrote to her Aunt Ruth in 1932. In it, Evelyn mentioned her violin lessons. But since no one remembers her with a violin, that interest must have gone by the wayside early on.
Evelyn Bresch attended Central Bible Institute in 1953-1955 in Springfield, Missouri,
and took night classes in California. For the majority of her career she was an
executive secretary in a handful of notable corporations.

She was most proud of being a Senior Secretary with IBM spanning several decades. Perhaps the assignment I most recall was when she was billeted at the Fairmont in San Francisco. She arranged an overnight stay for me and then girl-time in the City the next day. Evelyn made lifelong friends while working in the various departments. They recall how she was a good role model and friendly. After retirement, they’d meet for annual get-togethers. She adored these times as birthdays and holidays were celebrated while trying a new restaurant or recipe, and ended with special gifts for each other.

If you knew Evelyn, you knew of her love for travel. Remarkably, even despite the beginning symptoms of dementia, Evelyn could recall significant details of her many travel excursions. She loved to recount traveling to Germany, Finland, Spain, through the Panama Canal, Israel, Canada, Brazil, Switzerland and all around the
U. S. Added to her love of adventure, was the joy of eating the traditional foods and of course, shopping! She searched for meaningful souvenirs that dotted her home’s décor. What wasn’t set out might be seen on her ring fingers. She had an eye for native stones and would “give herself a gift.”

It’s hard to say when her love of shopping became a thing. But having greatly benefitted from the clothes she bought LaNay and me when we were little girls, to the inscriptions on cards she saved, it must be mentioned. Of eternal value was Evelyn’s unwavering commitment to financially support missionaries. Always a detailist, her budgets and bank statements were in pristine order in her micro-tiny script. Every budget listed who and how much she supported monthly. If money was tight, Evelyn cut personal luxuries, doing without, but never would she short her commitments to missions and missionaries.

For as long as she could, Evelyn volunteered to help at her church with women’s groups, missions, choir, Sunday School, pretty much wherever she could. Her last bible was literally falling apart from use. Nothing deterred her from having her daily devotionals. And reading – oh how she loved to read. She was an avid reader all throughout her life with a book in the car, several by her bed, in bookcases or on a table. Reading was her comfort zone. Whether due to circumstances or her strong sense of duty, Evelyn helped care for a number of aunts, as well as her mother, when their health needs increased. But it wasn’t just end-of-life care. She renovated her Montclair home adding an upstairs so two aunts could live with her and Grandma.

More times than I can remember, LaNay and I stayed with her and Grandma when our parents had to leave town. Yet it was also true that LaNay thought Evelyn was too much of a “mother” when LaNay moved out on her own! So, yes, while she never really said it, I think we were her “kids” in a way. Evelyn was proud of the ministry of Reach UP that I began in 2007. She even went with me to pick up the printing in San Diego and helped ship out magazines from her kitchen table. We know she would be honored that in lieu of flowers and in her honor, donations be given to Reach UP Magazine so that
marginalized women will be inspired to live life to the fullest just as she did.

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