Evelyn Hanna Grabs' Obituary
Evelyn Grabs
Beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother, was "called from this life" on Oct. 26, 2008 at Heritage Place in Kalispell, MT. She was born on Sept. 23, 1911 to John and Sophie Anderson, immigrants from Sweden, and was the oldest of five children. She was raised on rural Waller Road, attending schools in Tacoma, WA and graduating from Lincoln High School in 1929. She was confirmed in her faith at the Swedish Tabernacle in Tacoma. Evelyn met her husband, Frank Grabs, a construction engineer from Germany, at their place of employment. They were married on Nov. 28, 1931. They enjoyed hiking at Mount Rainier, their cabin in the Cascades, and their many pets. Frank passed away in 1954. For many years Evelyn was an active partner in the family businesses:Econstruction, real estate, and ranching. Through the years she lived in Washington, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. Her hobbies included rock hounding, shaking for sapphires, collecting geodes, arrowhead hunting, searching for rubies, and collecting fossils in northeastern Montana. Evelyn also enjoyed traveling with her three sisters. She had fond memories of trips to Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Guatemala, and the Orient. Evelyn was a cancer survivor. She loved and was loved by her family and friends. When needed, she was always ready to help out. She made others feel special. She was an animal advocate, loving and caring for her pets, trying to make the world a better place for our furry friends. Cats, dogs, farm animals - she loved them all. Evelyn was preceded in death by her husband Frank, her brother Anders Anderson, and her sisters Kathryn Harding and Hazel Greer. She is survived by her sister Helen Anderson of Gig Harbor, her daughter Suzanne and husband Al Sylling of Kalispell, MT, granddaughters Kerianne and husband Tom Robertson of Boerne, TX and Krista and husband Wayne Martens of Kalispell, and her great-granddaughters Ariana Wemple of Missoula, MT and Claire Robertson of Boerne. She is also survived by her nieces Layne, Ann, Paula, Pam, Kay and Susan, and nephews Mark, Richard, and John. Suggested memorials are to Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary, 400 Rolling Dog Lane, Ovando, MT 59854, or Flathead Spay & Neuter Task Force, POEBox 2095, Whitefish, MT 59937. Memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008 in the Mountain View Garden Chapel in Lakewood, WA.
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