Obituaries

M. Annetta Evans

Died Aug. 19, 2013

SUTTONS BAY   M. Annetta (Annette) Evans, 80, of Suttons Bay, passed away on Monday, August 19, 2013 at her home. She died from complications following knee replacement surgery.

   Annetta was born on August 15, 1933 in Slayden, TN, the daughter of Eddie and Fannie (Smith) Shelton. On November 14, 1953 in Ferndale, she married Albert A. Evans, who survives.

   Annette elevated homemaking to a high art.

  She cared for her husband, Al, and his demanding career as a graphic designer with Skidmore Sahratian. She shared his love of travel, driving the back roads and visiting small towns and touring the great cities. They shared a love and appreciation for art—high and low, folk and craft. They shared a passion for creating a home for their family and friends that was an expression of each of their aesthetic sensitivities.

  She raised her two children Karen and Kent, with joy and unabashed enthusiasm. She instilled a love of learning in her kids and made lifelong friends from Franklin who shared this passion. Her love was unconditional, for Kent, Karen and her favorite son-in-law Ken.
  She took pride and delight in her home, a place nurtured with beauty, love and creativity. She entertained with formal dinner parties, backyard picnics with family and friends, an annual Christmas Eve open house with Franklin neighbors, and breakfast for every teenager found sleeping upstairs.
  She knew farmers at the market, and found joy in the sheer visual beauty of a pear or a pumpkin. She loved to cook. She served chicken curry, kibbe and steak tartar to her kids when they were small, insisting that they try just one bite, and instilling a love of cooking and food in them both. She savored dinners with her husband and children as a time for conversation and sharing.
  She helped to create a supportive and positive community working at the library, volunteering at the church, participating in her children’s school, belonging to the Garden Club, Questers, The Giggle Group, Stitchers and PEO.
  She enjoyed people of all ages and had the ability to turn a casual conversation with a perfect stranger into a meaningful friendship. She delighted in children—her own, their friends, her nieces and nephews. She intuitively understood children and had a way of making each child feel special and perfect, appreciated and loved. She inspired adventures in the woods, ponds, puddles and orchards found around her Franklin home.
  Annette was a wife, a mother, and a friend. She understood that these roles she chose for her life, were hard work, required commitment, dedication and sacrifice. But, also, that they were infinitely important. And while she sometimes struggled to understand and change, she embraced the life she lived. Her legacy is found in the hearts and memories of all she loved. She will be greatly missed.
  In addition to her loving husband of 59 years, Annette is survived by her children, Karen Leslie (Ken) Bryan and Kent Garret Evans; a brother, Larry (Lois) Shelton; and a sister, Carol (Chuck) Ammon. A brother, Fred Shelton, preceded her in death.
  A memorial service will be held at the Leland United Methodist Community Church on Friday, September 6 at 2:00 pm. and at a later date at the Franklin Community Church in Franklin Village.
  Memorials may be directed to Leelanau Christian Neighbors, PO Box 32, Suttons Bay, MI 49682.
  Please share memories with Annetta’s family on their online guestbook at www.martinson.info.
  Arrangements are with the Martinson Funeral Home of Suttons Bay.