Evelyn Mawdsley, age 93, of Burt, passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday, November 19, 2023. A funeral service will be held Monday, November 27, 2023, at 11:00 AM, at the Burt Presbyterian Church with Pastor Walter Reemtsma and Pastor Kent Madison officiating. Burial will be in Portland Township Cemetery in rural Burt. Her family will greet friends from 9:30 until service time at the church.
Evelyn Mae Mawdsley, daughter of Martin and MayBelle (Dunlevy) Becker, was born January 1, 1930, in Irvington, Iowa. She grew up near Irvington before the family moved to Portland Township. Evelyn graduated from Burt High School in 1946 and attended Iowa State Teachers College for a short period of time. Evelyn was united in marriage to Roscoe Mawdsley at the Burt Presbyterian Church on April 25, 1948. She lived on the Mawdsley family farm southeast of Burt her entire married life and she and Roscoe raised their three sons there.
Evelyn was a member of the Burt Presbyterian Church since 1944 and the Presbyterian Womenâs Organization since 1949, where she held many offices. At Roscoeâs side, she served with the Gideons for 43 years. Evelyn developed and implemented a Christian education program, Religious Nurture, for handicapped individuals in Burt and served as its director for 44 years. She was a member of the Plum Creek Homemakers and the Plum Creek Womenâs Club. For 30 years she served at the Kossuth County Fair as the Superintendent of the Culinary Department.
Evelyn was a gifted lady who joyfully blessed and served her husband, her family, her church, and her community. She was an excellent baker, cook, and gardener, winning a multitude of blue ribbons at the Kossuth County Fair. She decorated beautiful cakes for birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings. Her festive flower arrangements graced many tables over the years. At the age of 84, she was still decorating elaborate ostrich eggs for special occasions. For many years she taught Sunday school and Vacation Bible School. With her musical gifts Evelyn served as church organist at the Burt Presbyterian Church for 53 years and was choir director for 33 of those years. She sang or played the piano for weddings, funerals, and community events. Evelynâs creativity and talents were displayed and enjoyed through the programs she produced and performed at family celebrations and local nursing homes.
Evelynâs faith in her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was unshakeable. She diligently studied the Bible and faithfully prayed for and with so many people throughout her life. One of Evelynâs greatest desires was that all of the people she knew and loved would have a personal relationship with Christ as she did, and she eagerly anticipated the day she would meet her Lord face to face.
Left to cherish Evelynâs memory are her husband of 75 years, Roscoe; three sons, Mark (Colleen) Mawdsley of Madrid, Michael (Cindy) Mawdsley of Algona, and Merrill Mawdsley of Burt; six grandchildren, Matt Mawdsley, Tim (Lisa) Mawdsley, Missy (Bob) Brown, Chrissy (Matt) Weiss, Melinda (Ryan) McConnell, and Scott Mawdsley; twelve great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and Laura Hanson, Evelynâs one in a million caretaker, who tenderly and selflessly attended to her every need, giving her love, laughter, and comfort each and every day.
Preceding her in death are her parents; her siblings, Rachel (Thees) Schnakenberg, George (Dorothy) Becker, Frank (Virginia) Becker and Harold (Viola) Becker; brother-in-law, Duane (Marjorie) Mawdsley, and sister-in-law, Dolores Mawdsley.
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