Evelyn Eggleston

Evelyn E. Eggleston was an independent and energetic woman who along with her husband dedicated her life to running WENSCO, the family business and raising three children. Evelyn enjoyed talking with customers and was always interested in making sure that they received the service they deserved. Evelyn enjoyed being busy and on the rare chance she wasn't helping with the family business, she might be found in her kitchen cooking and preparing a wonderful meal. .

In 1912, President William Howard Taft led our nation as we embarked into a new era that proved to be a time of great change for America . During 1912, United States added two new states, New Mexico (47th) and Arizona (48th), making our nation 48 states strong. This was also the year of the Games of the V Olympiad, hosted by Stockholm, Sweden . It was the first time women's events in swimming and diving were held and Jim Thorpe was the most popular American Athlete. Other notable events of 1912 included the sinking of the "unsinkable" ocean liner, the Titanic, the Girl Scouts of America was founded, and Woodrow Wilson was elected as president for the coming term. Americans during 1912 spent their time listening to hit songs such as Moonlight Bay, Melancholy (My Melancholy Baby) and When Irish Eyes Are Smiling and going to see films such as, The Tale of Two Cities and Oliver Twist, the first American film to last over one hour. Many memorable events occurred during 1912, but the most memorable for William and Maude (Kelly) Lumsden of Rexton, Michigan, was the birth of their daughter, Evelyn on August 18, 1912.

Evelyn was the middle child of six children. She had four brothers, Wes, Cecil, Clyde and Charlie, and one sister, Elaine. Evelyn was very close to her father and was quite proud of her mother's Irish ancestry. Her father started as a lumberjack but then worked for consumers energy, however he remained a farmer at heart. When she was young, Evelyn and her family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. At age 16 years old, Evelyn married Harold Eggleston in January 1929. They promplty started their family with their first son, Harold Jr., being born 10 months later. A daughter (Lorraine) and second son (Richard) were born over the next 2 ½ years.

With her husband, Evelyn owned and operated WENSCO (Wholesale Electric Neon Supply Company), a sign supply store, for many years. Evelyn's husband, Harold was always busy and quite an entrepreneur. He started out fixing radios, and then decided to run an appliance store; he also ventured into the furniture business during the war. It was after his foray into these businesses that he started WENSCO. With Evelyn by his side, they dedicated their lives to building that business. Forever the peacemaker, Evelyn tried her best to keep everyone happy. When the kids were young, they knew that business hours were for the business, and as they grew, they too helped in the store. Evelyn and her husband preferred apartment living and devoting their time to their business and family rather than dedicating their time to the upkeep of a yard and house. They much preferred their front yard to be made of concrete. The business moved a number of times through the years, and so did Evelyn and her family, having spent time on Grandville Avenue in Burton Heights, Bridge Street and Plainfield .

While Evelyn and Harold spent most of their time running their business, Sunday's were the day to enjoy a few other things. The children remember the Sunday trips to the local A&W Rootbeer stand and the wonderful meals Evelyn would prepare. When the children were young, the family took a few summer trips to lakeside cottages. In later years, Harold and Evelyn took semiannual trips to one of Harold's favorite place, Las Vegas. In the mid 1980's, Harold health began to fail and they left the family business to their oldest son who had been active in it for many years. Evelyn became a faithful full time caregiver to Harold at home. On July 22, 1993, Harold passed away, at which time Evelyn moved to a condominium. Evelyn worked hard both at her home and for the business. With her spunky personality, she went about her daily tasks. Despite doing a lot of the daily work, she was content to let Harold be the one in charge. Although, she certainly did share her opinion when she wanted to. She was not afraid to speak out and knew when to speak up. Yet their was often time for laughter with her sense of humor. Evelyn gave her all and dedicated herself to her family and the family business.

After 93 years of a life filled with love, Evelyn passed away on February 16, 2006. She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold Sr., son-in-law Wayne Copron, granddaughter Denise, and by several brothers. Evelyn is survived by her children Harold and Shirley Eggleston of Rockford, Lorraine Copron of Grandville, Richard and Bonnie Eggleston of Elkhart IN; 16 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren; her sister Elaine Bartos and many nieces and nephews. Funeral and committal services will be held on Monday, February 20 at 12 noon at Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes - Van Strien Creston Chapel, 1833 Plainfield NE where relatives and friends may meet with her family from 11 AM until the time of the service. Evelyn never forgot how the Salvation Army had helped her family during a difficult time, so memorial contributions to her favorite charity, the Salvation Army, are appreciated. You may read more about her life and share a favorite memory by visiting www.lifestorynet.com.