Evelyn Mae Clark

Evelyn Mae Hovis was born on October 15, 1924, in Coffeyville, Kansas. Her parents, C.W and Ella, later moved the family to Oklahoma City where C.W. worked in the oil drilling business. She was the youngest of 4 children. She graduated Foster High School as valedictorian and later earned a nursing degree at Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa.

She met her husband, L. C. on a blind date. Their marriage spanned 53 years until his death in 2000. They had four children-Linda, Steve, Dana and Terry. Soon the family of six had outgrown their Tulsa home and moved to Claremore in 1958. L.C. had started an automotive refinishing business in Tulsa and he and Evelyn later opened a laundromat and car wash on Route 66 that they operated for several years. When her children were older, Evelyn put her nursing degree to use working for the county Head Start program in Pryor.

Evelyn’s home in Claremore was a labor of love…especially the landscaping. To this day, people pause on the street to admire the wide variety of foliage that she planted and maintained for sixty-five years. The setting is so beautiful that daughter Dana and granddaughter Rachel chose the site for their weddings. She also lent her master-gardener skills to several organizations in Claremore, including the Claremore First United Methodist Church.

Evelyn was all about giving. She was generous with both her time and financial support for numerous charities. Her greatest passion, however, was helping animal welfare groups, most notably the Tulsa SPCA. Her generosity continues with several bequests she requested to be made upon her death.

After living in Claremore for sixty-five years, failing health led her to move to assisted living where she spent a short time before passing on the 3rd of May. She was preceded in death by husband, L.C., daughter Linda, brother Clarence and sisters Mary and Vonnie. She is survived by her children - Steve Clark and wife Diane, Dana Kastelic, Terry Clark and wife Candace, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Tulsa Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or the Evelyn Clark Nursing Scholarship at Rogers State University in Claremore

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