Submitted by: Dan Rich

 

Evelyn Pearl Tamke

July 15, 1920 - Oct. 3, 2004

                                       

South Bend Tribune 10/10/2004

Evelyn Pearl Tamke, 84, passed away in Memorial Hospital on Sunday, Oct. 3, at 8:50 a.m. after having a massive heart attack at home on Thursday around noon. Evelyn was born in South Bend, Ind. Her parents were Clinton and Pearl Shupert. She was a graduate of Lakeville High School and Reliance Beauty College (later known as Vogue Beauty College).

 

Evelyn was married to Paul Tamke in St. Paul's Lutheran Church on Nov. 6, 1948. She proudly served in the United States Navy during World War II and was in the first group of Navy Waves to serve overseas, earning the Asiatic-Pacific Ribbon and the World War II Victory Ribbon. After being sworn in at Notre Dame on Sept. 18, 1943, she received her Naval training at the United States Naval Training Schools located in Bronx, N.Y. (Hunter College), Milledgeville, Ga. (Georgia State College for Women), and Indianapolis, Ind. (Radio School). Upon completion of her training in Indianapolis, she was assigned to the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii, where she spent most of her time while in the Navy. She loved the military and told many interesting stories. After receiving her honorable discharge from the Navy in 1946, she attended Reliance Beauty College on the G.I. Bill. After graduating from Beauty College in 1947, she began her professional career as a beautician in the South Bend-Mishawaka area and worked until she married Paul, after which she devoted all of her time to raising her family. Before attending Beauty College, she also worked for the Bendix Corporation and Ball Band (later known as Uniroyal).

 

Evelyn was a very devoted and loving wife and mother. She deeply loved her husband, Paul, and her sons, Brian, Carl, Fred and Jim. She was a very active person and big Notre Dame fan. Her hobbies included watching Notre Dame football and basketball, watching old movies, watching politics on television (most of all, C-SPAN and other news channels), watching "Jeopardy" and "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," listening to talk shows on the radio, and listening to classic country music on cable television. She also enjoyed working crossword puzzles, and most of all going to the Old Country Buffet on Grape Road with her son Jim on Thursdays around 3 p.m. where she enjoyed visiting with her niece, Virginia Green, and Virginia's husband, Dale. As a child she attended a one-room schoolhouse, known as Olive Branch School, and she also attended Olive Branch United Brethren ChurchWhen she married Paul, she became a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. From a young age on, she enjoyed reading and memorizing many verses from the Bible.

 

She was preceded in death by her parents; her sisters, Violet Emery and Nellie Jackson; her brother, Calvin Shupert; her husband, Paul on March 19, 2003; and by her dear son, Carl, who died in a drowning accident on Aug. 4, 1963, at the age of seven. She is survived by her sons, Brian, Frederick and James Tamke, all of South Bend. She is also survived by her sister, Winifred Cramer of Phoenix, Ariz., and her sister-in-law, Hildegarde Nikoley, and her husband, Harold Nikoley of Melbourne, Fla. On more than one occasion Evelyn said that she considered Hildegarde to be like a sister and Harold "Nick" to be like a brother. She is also survived by eight nieces and two nephews.

 

Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 12, in the Welsheimer Family Funeral Home North on Cleveland Road. The funeral, officiated by Reverend Donald Dennie of Olive Branch United Brethren Church and Reverend Gregory Fiechtner of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, will be held in the funeral home at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct 13. Burial will take place at Highland Cemetery.