Loretta M. Evans

– Loretta May Evans, 78, of Missoula, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, at St. Patrick Hospital.
She was born on June 28, 1937, in Stevensville, Montana to Eugene and Effie Mastel. At some point within the first four months of her life, Loretta moved with her family to Yakima, Washington, living there for 9-10 years while her dad worked on the Coulee Dam, and in the fruit orchards.

Loretta moved along with her family back to Stevensville, Montana in 1947, where she experienced the joys of living on a farm, helping with gardening, milking cows, and raising chickens.

In 1954 Loretta's family moved from Stevensville to a farm in the Grass Valley area off of Mullan road in Missoula, Montana. She graduated from Sacred Heart Academy in Missoula, Montana on May 28, 1956.
Loretta worked at the F. W. Woolworth Company in Missoula for a few years, where she met a customer named John Rodney Evans, whom she began to date, and eventually married in April of 1958.
Loretta and John celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in April of 2008.

Loretta enjoyed travelling, and took many vacations with her family to numerous places across America, and into Canada.

She also enjoyed yard work, gardening, and canning. Annually, she would make sure that the cellar was stocked with a generous amount of canned pickles, peaches, pears, and plums. Also, she would make homemade peach and plum butter quite often.
Later in Loretta's life when grandchildren came along, she enjoyed babysitting them, taking them out to eat, and watching them grow up.

Loretta loved and cared for her family very much. She will be sorely missed.

Survivors include two sons, Mark and Bob of Missoula; daughter Cindy Heath of Missoula; sister Shirley Johnson of Missoula; brother Tom Mastel of Lolo; seven grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, a son, a brother, and a sister.

Viewing will be at Garden City Funeral Home on Wednesday, from 5-7 p.m. with a Vigil Service at 7 p.m.

Read Loretta Evans's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.