It is with heavy hearts, weighted with sorrow, yet brimming with love, that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Evelyn Virginia Mitchell, resident of Beaverlodge, AB, on Monday, September 6, 2021, at the Beaverlodge Municipal Hospital at the age of 74 years.

Evelyn “Babes” was born in Fort St. John, BC, on December 5, 1946, and raised by Joseph and Ann Sutherland. She spent her early childhood years in Grimshaw, AB, and McLennan, AB. Many of her summers were spent living in an army tent, picking and selling blueberries with her mother in an area called Kenzie, near High Prairie, AB. While living in Grimshaw, AB, at the Planer Mill, she met her first husband, Leo Mildenberger, and together they had three of their four children: Corey, Raymond and Debbie.

Evelyn moved to Edmonton, AB, to upgrade her schooling while Debbie was just a newborn. Unfortunately, she was unable to complete her studies due to a lack of childcare and returned to Grimshaw. After moving from Grimshaw to Prince George, BC, Evelyn’s fourth child, April, was born. In 1975, Leo and Evelyn moved their family to Brownvale, AB. After they separated, Evelyn, determined as she was, attended Fairview College where she received her degree as a Clerk Typist. She worked part-time as a cashier at the Speedy Mart in Berwyn, AB, and full-time as a Clerk Typist at the Courthouse in Peace River, AB. As a single mother, she independently purchased her first home in Berwyn, around the time she began her relationship with her second husband, Richard Mitchell. After getting married, they moved to High Level, AB, where her fifth child, Bailie, was born in 1988. Evelyn was 42 when she gave birth to Bailie, an accomplishment in itself. Not long after this, Evelyn and Richard separated, at which time she and Bailie moved to an apartment in Beaverlodge, AB, where Evelyn gained employment as the Rental Manager.

After meeting Peter Gill and upon his advice, she obtained employment as a Librarian at the Beaverlodge Regional High School. She remained the Librarian for several years before being promoted to an Administrative Assistant, where she excelled in all aspects of her position. Evelyn would serve the remainder of her working years at B.R.H.S, nearly three decades in total. A plethora of co-workers, students, parents and community members will tell you that Evelyn’s number one attribute was her deep and whole-hearted kindness, which she extended to everyone she met. She would attend each graduation ceremony, even when she had no children or grandchildren in the class, as she truly cared about the kids passing through the halls and was proud of their accomplishments. She retired in June of 2015. Evelyn’s home was always a beacon to her family, where they would find the love and support they needed.

Throughout her life, Evelyn had a passion for the English language. She enjoyed doing crosswords and memorizing a list of ten obscure words and their definitions found in a monthly column in Readers’ Digest. Playing baseball for the Brownvale Goldies was a favorite past-time. She was also a sports fan, watching her children and grandchildren compete, as well as enjoying watching many professional sports. Something that might surprise you is that Evelyn was also a member of the Brownvale Volunteer Fire Department. In her later years, she loved being a member of the Hythe Community Choir, and especially the Divas. Despite seeming somewhat shy and reserved, she had a beautiful singing voice and was also quite the card when performing skits on stage. Many know Evelyn to have an off-the-cuff, witty, sense of humour. At one point or another, she has forced a good gut-laugh from each of her children and grandchildren. Evelyn cared deeply about the world she lived in, whether near or far. She watched the news religiously and prayed for the world at large. Interior decorating, landscaping, murder mystery and nature programming were some of her other favourites. Other things she enjoyed were camping, gardening, art and the beauty in this world. Jokingly, we would say her favourite hobby was worrying, but truly, she was always caring for us with all her heart. Evelyn was a loving, beautiful, kind, sweet woman. The English language she loved falls short in the ability to convey the unconditional love she gave and received. Words will never be enough to describe the awe-inspiring, heart-filling effect she had on our lives.

She will be missed by her children: Corey (Romila) Mildenberger, Debbie (Chris) MacKenzie, and Bailie Mitchell; grandchildren: Ryan Mildenberger, Adam (Kathryn Wood) Mildenberger, Raymond Mildenberger, Chase Herback, Chance Herback, Evelyn Mildenberger, and Corissa Mildenberger; great-grandchild: Isaac Wood; as well as countless other extended family and friends.

Evelyn was predeceased by her son Raymond Mildenberger; daughter April Mildenberger; parents Joseph and Ann Sutherland; siblings: Robert (Bernice) Sutherland, Edith Flamand, Leonard (Cindy) Sutherland, and Alfred (Margaret and Rose) Sutherland; nieces Beverly Sutherland and Donna Sutherland; as well as nephews Junior Sutherland, Bobby Sutherland, and Joseph Sutherland.

A Memorial Service for Evelyn will be held Saturday, September 18, 2021, 2:00pm, at Christ Community Church in Grande Prairie (10106 112 Ave). God bless.

A Livestream link will be available 5 minutes prior to the service on Evelyn's obituary page on Oliver's Funeral Home website.