Submitted by: Dan Rich
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.