Loudon Ridge-----Evelyn M. Pearl, 92, of Loudon Ridge, died at her daughter's home in Laconia on Friday, June 21, 2013.
Mrs. Pearl was the widow of Kenneth C. Pearl who died in 2005.
Mrs. Pearl was born January 27, 1921 in Belmont, N.H., the daughter of the late Carl S. and Pearl E. (Huntoon) Sanborn. She was a longtime resident of Loudon Ridge before moving to Laconia six months ago.
Mrs. Pearl is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, June C. and Bob Lavoie, of Laconia. In addition to her husband and her parents, Mrs. Pearl was predeceased by a daughter, Janet R. Pearl.
There will be no calling hours.
A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, June 27, 2013 at Noon at the Family Bible Church in Loudon, N.H. Rev. Steve Ludwick, pastor of the church, will officiate.
Burial will follow in the family lot in Loudon Ridge Cemetery, Loudon, N.H.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, N.H. is assisting the family with the arrangements.
Eulogy For Grammie Evelyn
Good afternoon and thank you everyone--family and friends, who have gathered here today to honor the life of Evelyn May Sanborn Pearl. I am Darlene, the oldest of her 5 grandchildren, and better than a dozen great grandchildren. Although he could not be here today, I am joined in spirit by my brother Daryl, and we would like to share some of our thoughts and memories of Grammie Evelyn.
Grammie was the oldest born child of Carl and Pearl Sanborn. She was reared along with her brother, Milton, on a small country farm in Belmont, New Hampshire. Her late younger brother, Roger, came along after Grammie had married my grandfather Kenneth, and they were already beginning to establish their own family on Louden Ridge, about 15 minutes away.
Grammie was a woman of unwavering faith and gave of herself a lifetime of living for and loving others. She raised her daughters June and Janet, and worked side-by-side with Grandpa for all the days of his life. When grandchildren came along, starting with me, and then my late sister Rhonda, Daryl, Dallas, and Beorne, she always had a way of making us all feel special during our alone time with her . . . or when we all got together for family reunions and family gatherings. I loved those occasions and I know she did too—although easily “twitterpated” as my mother likes to call it, these occasions gave her the opportunity to stray from the everyday meat and potatoes meals that Grandpa preferred, and let her creative cooking side rise to the occasion—waldorf salad, fun little finger rolls, exotic fruit punches—these were always treats I looked forward to at family get-togethers.
When she did take time for herself, it usually involved creating something of beauty—painting a picture, building a doll house, playing her electric keyboard, dressing up for church, planting flowers and tending to her garden.
Grammie had quite the fashion sense and she always made sure Grandpa’s tie matched her dress. In my mind, Grammie was a lifelong country gal with just a hint of quiet sophistication. She had a buy-it-once philosophy, as evidenced in her stainless steel dishpan that I remember so well going back to when I was a kid . . . I like to think her ways are some of the reasons I am who I am today.
Grammie had a special relationship with the land. This was especially evident in the gardens she tended and cultivated for over 70 years. Many of the flowers you see today in her casket spray came from her gardens. I thought it would be a nice tribute to her to pick and arrange this piece from flowers she raised herself—she always told me her original peonies came from the Sanborn family farm. Over the years, I have move a fair amount of times, and each and every property, including the Inn that Michael and I currently own has been enriched with plants from Grammie’s flower gardens. I feel completely blessed to have inherited her love for “creative cooking and her flower gardening genes.” .
From generation to generation, Grammie’s flower gardens continue to perpetuate her legacy, with her plants finding their way into her great-granddaughter’s gardens in more recent years. So though her love of flowers and cooking, her legacy will always live on. Grammie lived a full life . . . I feel blessed to have 50+ years of memories with her. I can hardly believe so many years have passed. She was always so full of energy at times I even had a hard time keeping up with her.
As the years marched on, she just could not keep the pace. So, just as Grammie had given her all, so, too, did her family give back to her.
In her final months and days, Mom and Bob, saw to her every need. Dallas and Jennifer are the good stewards of the Pearl family house and gardens now . . . and while Grammie never really embraced internet technology, I love it because Jennifer’s Facebook posts keep me close to Grammie’s flower garden and I get to see her flowers bloom from a distance.
Grammie was thankful to everyone for her personal care and the homestead and she told me so every chance she got . . . I am so grateful that I was able to visit her one last time a week ago this past Monday. I brought lunch and her spring favorite--strawberry rhubarb pie. Mom said she had not eaten so much for a long time. We shared a lot of memories that day, and I was able to tell her how much I loved her and how important she had been to me in my life. It was hard to leave because I knew it would be the last time I would see her alive. It was a big day for Grammie and she grew tired quickly, so Mom and I tucked her in for a nap. Mom and I agreed it would not be long and it was not. . . last Friday, on the first day of summer, her bright as a firefly spirit disappeared in the early morning light . . . Her spirit, however, lives on with her Maker and all her loved ones who have gone on before her.
Yesterday my mother asked if there was any thing of Grammie’s that I wanted . . . I paused and thought . . . yes, I would like a pair of her garden clippers, so I can think of her each time I use them . . . Mom said I could pick out any pair I wanted. She also tossed in a brand new pair of Grammies favorite kind of garden shoes . . . the new ones laid in waiting, because she did not want to get them dirty—no doubt her old beat up ones had at least 200,000 steps on their soles . . . those shoes have certainly earned their rest and so has Grammie . . . you can check them out after this service on Grammie’s memory table in the vestry.
Over the past few days, I have given a lot of thought about what I would say about Grammie’s life. I could go on and on about my grandmother, offering personal stories about how she was about all about faith, love, and resilience. I think it is true that the lives of 92-year-old grandmothers of the world cannot be summed up in just a minute or two, so I hope that you take time to share your memories of her too.
Before I step away, I would like to share what my brother, Daryl has asked me to read to you. Thank you for allowing me to share this time with you and to convey a few words from my brother, Daryl.
Hello my name is Daryl. I am unable to be here today, but I would like to share some of my fondest memories of my grandmother Evelyn. I would like to start by saying she was a wonderful lady that left me with many fond memories. I cannot say them all because it would take a very long time.
I learned how to change my first car tire in the pouring rain we were at a store in Laconia and we were both soaked by the time I got the tire changed and she looked at me and smiled and said well at least we weren’t in East Cupcake some where we both laughed so hard for a very long time after.
I used to love my Grammie's cooking, as well--she was really great at it. I remember being at her place one afternoon, and we decided to go out to the garden to pick some broccoli for lunch. So, we went out and picked the best ones we could find and cooked it. Well I was about to take my first bite and looked down to see a big green worm in it gram turned 3 shades redder and threw all of it out we laughed so hard we almost could not stop. I could go on for hours about the joy and laughter grammie brought to me but there is not enough time. So, I just want to say thank you to the most wonderful Gram any one could ever ask for.
Thank you for allowing me, and my brother Daryl from a distance, to share this time with you as a final tribute to this wonderful woman who my grandmother and your sister, mother, grandmother, aunt, or friend.