Evelyn was born May 2, 1938, to Verl and Leona (Thygesen) Hall in rural Adams County, Iowa. The oldest of five children, she often told stories of her childhood. These stories always brought a smile to family members or a sense of wonderment at how different life was back then.
After graduating from Atlantic High School in 1956, she worked as a bookkeeper at the Linke Chevrolet dealership. She married Harvey Sager at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on August 17, 1958. Together, they had four children: Randy, who died in infancy, Marcy, Mitzi and Mick.
Life on the Sager farm consisted of large, home-cooked meals enjoyed around the kitchen table. Evelyn had a knack for making sure everyone was well-fed. True to her Danish heritage, she always had a container of baked goods and a cup of coffee ready for anyone who stopped by.
The farm was also a place for youngsters to explore – playing imaginative games and climbing the trees in the “forest” or going on walks accompanied by Grandma, leaving apple peels as they went so they could find their way back.
After the kids were all in school, Evelyn shared her love of both vegetable and flower gardening and home canning as the gardening expert for the Cass County Extension office. She organized one of the first Farmers Markets in the state and pioneered a pressure canner safety testing program. She also shared gardening and canning advice in a monthly newsletter. She later was a receptionist at the Heritage House in Atlantic. Her cheerful and kind personality brought much joy to the residents and their family members. After her retirement from the Heritage House, she established a sewing alterations business called “Evelyn’s Sewing.”
As a girl, Evelyn was a 4-H member and later a 4-H leader when her children were 4-Hers. An expert seamstress, Evelyn sewed many clothes and blankets for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren throughout the years. Her favorite sewing project was designing what she called “crazy quilts,” consisting of multi-colored and patterned fabric she had in her stash. After moving off the farm, she lovingly crafted more than 30 crazy quilts for her family.
Evelyn shared some of these sewing skills with her grandchildren, smiling and offering praise for completed 4-H sewing projects, and laughing when she had to break out the seam ripper yet again for another crooked seam.
Left to cherish these many memories are her children: Marcy (Mark) Anderson of Norwalk, Iowa, Mitzi Sager of Englewood, Colorado, Mick (LaVon) Sager of Atlantic, Iowa, and her step-daughter Linda Rae Orfield of Clinton, Missouri; her grandchildren: Jacob Hansen of Des Moines, Iowa, Andrew Hansen of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Melissa (Phil) Jones of Reston, Virginia, Brandon Pollack of Littleton, Colorado, Nicole Pollack of Englewood, Colorado, Whitney (Jesse) Baxter of Cambridge, Iowa, Heather (Eric Kirchner) Sager, Jordan (Kyle) Dailey, Tucker (Meaghan) Sager, all of Atlantic, Iowa, Chrissy (Cory) Schmidt of Webb City, Missouri, and Amy (Dennis) Setzer of Lake Tapawingo, Missouri; 14 great-grandchildren; her sister, Doris Wolken of Earlham, Iowa; as well as many extended family members and friends.
Evelyn was preceded in death by her husband, parents, infant son, and her siblings, Russell Hall, Ronald Hall, and Deloris Claussen.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 17, 2023, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Atlantic, Iowa, with Pastor Lauri Boysen officiating. The funeral will take place at 11 a.m., followed immediately by visitation and lunch at the church. Merle Hay Funeral Home in Des Moines is in charge of the arrangements.
