Our dear, sweet wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend, Evelyn Frances Nauman (“Nanny”), passed away late Thursday night, June 14, 2018, after a long and valiant nine-year fight against cancer. Oh, how we miss her already.
Evelyn was born on Oct. 10, 1933, in Amiret, Minn., to Charles Matthew Klein and Anna Kathrine Dobias Klein. She was the oldest of nine children—a sister and seven brothers, all of whom she adored and loved with all of her heart. She was raised on a farm, and developed her hard work ethic and ability to endure hard times happily at an early age.
She graduated from Tracy High School after being crowned Homecoming Queen, and began working right away as a transcriptionist, where she excelled in and gained a fondness for writing, typing, and penmanship. Not long after that, she decided to embark on an adventure as an airline stewardess. Little did she know what an adventure was just ahead of her. She met her sweetheart, Alfred Garth Nauman, DDS (“Bud”), of nearly 63 years on a flight to Salt Lake City, Utah. She leaned over to close his window shade as he was sleeping, and he woke up and was immediately smitten by her radiant beauty, both inside and out. The two felt an instant connection and were married not long after first meeting, on Nov. 10, 1955. Bud also introduced Evelyn to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and she was baptized on Dec. 11, 1955. Becoming a member of the Church was a life-changing event for her, and she lived her life devoted to Christ in every way. Her love for the Gospel was evident in her countenance, and her bright spirit couldn’t help but pour out of her beautiful eyes and smile.
Evelyn and Bud were blessed with three beautiful children, Tim (Kayleen), Teri (Joe Mount), and Tom (Kimley). She eventually earned her elementary teaching degree and became a “second mother” to countless students in Elma, Wash. whom she taught and loved with her big heart. Evelyn and Bud have 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, all of whom love, look up to, and miss their Nanny.
Evelyn was an active member of her communities and Church in both Elma, where she raised their children and worked, and Shelton, where she and Bud have lived (Lost Lake) for the past 28 years. Evelyn has left a legacy of love, hard work, optimism, faith, and hope that will continue to ripple through future generations as we remember her and feel her influence in our lives.
She is survived by her husband, Alfred (Bud); her children: Tim and Kayleen Nauman, Teri and Joe Mount, and Tom and Kimley Nauman; 10 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; brothers and sisters: Helen Ann, Richard Allan, Donald Charles, Jerome Arthur, John Henry, James William, Charles Eugene.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Charles Matthew Klein and Anna Kathrine Dobias Klein; brother Robert (Bobby) James; and her nephew Tim Klein.
At the request of her husband, there will not be a formal service. However her ashes will be preserved at a memorial at her favorite place, the lookout at the waterfall of their Elma home, where her son currently resides, “Nanny’s Lookout.”
