Evelyn Sosebee

Evelyn Sosebee, 95, was welcomed into the arms of Jesus on December 5, 2023. Evelyn was born on October 9, 1928, to Willie and Gertie Mitchell. She was born in the Harmony Community, just outside Weatherford, Texas.

Evelyn was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. Left to cherish her memory are her daughters, Debra Wherry and husband, Steve, Myrna Vega and husband, Ray, as well as her sons, Dee Sosebee, Jr and wife, Lecretia, Richard Walker and James Young and wife, Chom, and daughter-in-love, Mary Gibbs. She was also deeply adored by all her many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.

Evelyn lived what some may have seen as a simple life, but her family and friends know that her life was like one of the puzzles she loved to work on. All of the “pieces” were important to her and she made sure to fit them together. Pieces like her devoted husband, her children, her grandchildren, her friends, and above all her Lord. She was an amazing cook and inventor of recipes (can anyone say “pink banana ice cream”). She was a musician, a lover of bluegrass music, who was never without a song in her heart and a tune in her mind. She sang songs to all of the babies and used that as a way to pass along her faith to us in our earliest days. She was an avid fisherwoman, a business partner to her self-employed husband, a faithful servant to her church and to her community. She was the one who sat at the table and listened to our problems, reminding us that we weren’t God and that He was, above all else, good. She sat there with us playing Pollyanna, shelling peas, and telling stories. And if none of that helped, she would bring out the peanut butter, honey and a Dr. Pepper, because something sweet always made things better. She had a gentle spirit and a sweet smile that lit up her face (and ours) but that gentle spirit could be provoked if you messed with one of her babies. Speaking of those babies…Grandma worked hard to overlook the mischievousness in her grandchildren, always offering a smile and a shake of the head, rather than a harsh word. She was a writer. She was the family correspondent and genealogist. She loved learning about our family, sending cards and writing letters, and was frequently found sitting at her old typewriter updating family on the latest happenings. She was an artist and her paintings still hang in many of our homes. She was a seamstress that could mend just about any torn or broken thing (including hearts). She could crochet the most beautiful pieces, including the treasured afghans that she made while praying for each new baby coming to the family. The detail, care and love that she put into each puzzle piece was seen and felt and known so deeply by all of us.

Evelyn truly was a Proverbs 31 woman. “Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. She is like a merchant’s ship, bringing her food from afar. She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls. She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night. Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber. She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy. She has no fear of winter for her household, for everyone has warm clothes. She makes her own bedspreads. She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns. Her husband is well known at the city gates, where he sits with the other civic leaders. She makes belted linen garments and sashes to sell to the merchants. She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.”

I think if you asked Evelyn, she would say the most important piece of her puzzle, and ours, is Jesus Christ. We may have thought she was the glue that held our puzzles together, but she knew it was Him. She trusted the Lord with her family, for His provision, for His strength and His courage. She was our prayer warrior and our spiritual guide. Because of Him, she was the light in our dark places. Her love of God flowed through in her praise of Him and her love for others. She lived to honor Him and we are certain that when she closed her eyes here on this earth, she opened them to the smiling face of Jesus, greeting her with a “well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Visitation for Evelyn will be held on Thursday, December 14, 2023, from 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m., at the Galbreaith Pickard Funeral Home Chapel. A celebration and scattering of ashes to be held at Wherry Ranch in Spring 2024.