Evelyn Lucille Cole O'Connor

May 12, 1923 - April 28, 2013 – Evelyn  was born in Charlo on May 12, 1923 to Ralph Chapman Cole and Violet Josephine McPheeters. Her family later moved to Pablo where she attended grade school, and then high school in Ronan. She married Earl O’Connor on Feb .9, 1942. In 1942 Evelyn and her sister Dorothy moved to Seattle while her husband Earl served in the Army. While there they both worked at Boeing Aircraft. Because of her small stature, Evelyn was given the job of crawling into the wings of the airplanes and doing the riveting, where she was known as a “Rosie the Riveter.” After Earl was discharged from the Army they moved to Missoula, where they lived for the rest of their lives and raised three children. Earl worked at Northern Pacific Railway, and Evelyn was a “stay at home” mom. She and her husband loved to go dancing every chance they got.  She worked briefly at The Mercantile department store, where she did clothing alterations, and was a great seamstress, as evidenced by the fact that she made her daughter Lynn’s wedding dress. They were long-time members of the Good Sam Camping Club, and also loved their time spent camping in Glacier Park.  They were members of the First United Methodist Church and were also very active in The American Legion locally, of which Evelyn was once president.  They were also regulars at both the Missoula and Arlee senior centers. Evelyn was preceded in death by: her husband, Earl; her parents, Ralph and Violet; and four brothers, Robert George Cole, Ralph Ellis “Curly” Cole, Arthur Chapman Cole and Charles Prentice “Chuck” Cole. She is survived by: three siblings, Dorothy Cole (Bert) Palmer of Corvallis, Ore., James Jefferson (Lora Houle) Cole of Polson, and Frank Wallace (Helen Palmer) Cole of Missoula.  She is also survived by three children: daughter, Lynn Marie O’Connor Fairbanks of Tekoa, Wash.; and sons, Larry Earl O’Connor and Kurt Alan O’Connor, both of Missoula.  She has two grandchildren:  granddaughter Lisa Marie (Mike) Rossi and their three children, Alexander Giovanni Rossi, age 12, and twins Isabella Faith Rossi and Sophia Marie Rossi, age 8, of Spokane, Wash., and grandson Christopher James Fairbanks of Marina del Rey, Calif.; as well as many nieces and nephews and their families. Evelyn had a great sense of humor and was loved by everyone who knew her.  She spent her last three years at Rosetta Alzheimer’s Care Center, where she was loved by everyone there, and especially her caregiver Katelyn Miller. Funeral service was held on Friday, May 3, at Garden City Funeral Home, Missoula. Interment followed at Western Montana State Veteran’s Cemetery at 1911 Tower Street, Missoula.  Then everyone was invited to attend the reception and lunch back at Garden City Funeral Home.