Evelyn Mae Perry

Evelyn Tibbits Perry passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, at her home in Lusk, Wyoming at the age of 91. Evelyn was born in Lusk, Wyoming on August 10, 1931, to Clara Vera (Hanson) and Ansel C. (Slim) Tibbits. She attended elementary school in Lusk and graduated in 1949 from Lusk High School. In September 1950, Evelyn married Eugene H. Perry at the First Baptist Church in Lusk. Gene was in the U. S. Marine Corps during World War II and was recalled to serve in the Korean War. Evelyn and Gene lived in Lusk and had four children.

Evelyn worked in Lusk at various times as a telephone operator for the Mountain Bell Telephone office until the Lusk office closed with the implementation of new automated systems. Evelyn and Gene bought and operated the Lusk Phillips 66 distributorship from her parents, Ansel and Clara Tibbits, when they retired, and Evelyn maintained the business records. Then, in 1970, Evelyn and Gene sold the Phillips 66 business and purchased the Town House Motel, which Evelyn operated until 1993 when she sold the motel and retired. Evelyn succeeded in the hospitality business due to her welcoming and friendly personality, and the support of her many friends and family.

Evelyn’s most treasured role was being a loving mother, grandmother, daughter, and a collector of friends. She could spend an hour at the grocery store just chatting. Everyone was always welcome to stop by for coffee or even stay for dinner. Evelyn and Gene loved camping and boating and took the family to Glendo Lake most every summer weekend together with best friends Gene and Joan Harris and Donnie and Garnet Heckert. They also went camping in Jackson, Flathead Lake, and Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. She and her mother, Clara, toured the Yukon and Alaska, and Evelyn and sister-in-law Flora took both of their mothers together on a wonderful trip to Hawaii.

Evelyn loved taking care of her yard as well as growing flowers in her garden and in numerous flower pots. She enjoyed making floral arrangements. Evelyn made flower bouquets over the years first using plastic flowers, then feathers, and then silk flowers, providing vases of her arrangements to many family members and friends.

Evelyn also enjoyed quilting and met regularly for years with a group of friends to make patchwork quilts. For many years, she actively participated in the VFW Auxiliary Chapter 3511. Evelyn loved traveling and enjoyed many trips with her children, sisters-in-laws Flora Holm and Fern Franssen, cousin Alma Howell, and many friends to places including Branson, Las Vegas, and on ocean cruises.

The Perrys hosted a summer exchange student from Japan in 1971, and the student, Taki Misu, and Evelyn have continued to write and email since then. Subsequently, Taki brought her children to Lusk to stay with Evelyn, and again visited Evelyn and her family in 2017. Taki still refers to Evelyn as Mother.

Evelyn often visited her friend Beverly Gamble in Jackson, and they later took many road trips around Wyoming and Montana together with Sharon. Evelyn stayed regularly with Sharon in Casper and Thermopolis and had many wonderful friends there.

Evelyn is survived by sons Michael (Laurie) of Casper; Gary of Casper; Eugene (Judy) of Tacoma, WA; daughter Sharon of Lusk; granddaughters Rachelle (Ismael) of Tucson AZ; Jenni (Brian) of Maple Valley, WA; and Crystal of Federal Way, WA; as well as great-granddaughter Ruby of Tucson AZ and great-grandchildren Morgan, Avery, Lawson, Sydney, and Holden of WA; sister-in-law Faye Perry of Douglas; nieces and nephews and many wonderful friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her half-sister.

The family kindly requests that any desired memorials be made to the First Baptist Church of Lusk.

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