Obituary for Evalee R.
O’Toole-Johansen
6/15/1928 – 9/5/2014
Evalee R. O’Toole-Johansen, 86, of Belmond ,
Iowa , passed away on September 5th, 2014 at
the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason
City , Iowa . In
lieu of a funeral, a celebration of her life will be planned, when interment of
ashes will be at West Denmark Lutheran Church cemetery in Luck, Wisconsin.
Ev was
born on June 15th, 1928, in Watertown ,
South Dakota to John Haney & Ruth (Griffith ) Haney.
She graduated from Watertown
High School in
1946. Ev was married to Richard O’Toole and moved to Garner, Iowa in 1961.
Together they managed the Avery
Theater and raised their
four children. After the theater closed, Ev worked for Dr. W.J. Mack for
over 31 years. Her prior experience as a surgery scrub tech while living
in South Dakota
came in handy in assisting Dr. Mack. Ev and Dick were married close to 25
years before he passed away.
In
1988, on August 27th, she married Valdemar “Wally” Johansen.
After almost 10 years of courting, they celebrated their wedding at West Denmark Lutheran Church
near Luck, Wisconsin ,
where Wally had been born & raised. They became the famous duo of Wally & Ev and now it seems hard to imagine that
they have danced their last dance and laughed their last laugh as a couple.
Over
the 26 years of their marriage, Ev became well acquainted in the West Denmark community. Her Irish roots mixing with
the Danish customs, but always the Irish holding a special place in her
heart. A shamrock was slyly positioned on the back of her wedding bouquet
on the day she married Wally in the Danish church.
Wally
had a cabinet making business. After they were married, it was not
unusual for Ev to find herself in conversation with local women who were raving
about having a ‘Johansen kitchen’ in their home. She delighted in
reminding them all, “That’s fine, you have a Johansen kitchen, but I have
Johansen!” She admired Wally’s skills in building and fixing, one of her
favorite phrases “My ‘Vally’ can do anything!” was playfully said with a Danish
accent.
Ev sang
bass in the Sweet Adelines choral group for several years, made many close
friends and traveled around the state & country singing with the
group. She was a good seamstress and had a knack for creating a costume
out of not much.
For
many years, Wally and Ev cross country skied around Iowa
and up in Northern Wisconsin too. The
annual Johansen family ‘Cabin Christmas’ over New Year’s in Wisconsin soon
became a weekend for cross country skiing for all. They also skied in
some of the parks around Iowa ,
they found groomed trails in some to enjoy.
Two
things Ev loved most in this world, Wally and ballroom dancing. Ev was an
accomplished ballroom dancer and she dearly loved music. Just by hearing
a few bars of a song, she could ‘name that tune’ out of the 40’s, and the
artists who made them popular. She and Wally were known to go to dances
at many ballrooms around the countryside, never missing Lawrence Welk on
Saturday nights, and always loving to hear a good Glenn Miller song. Their
favorite place to dance was The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake , IA ,
but they would dance almost anywhere if there was good music and a flat
surface. Her skill at the sewing machine and her imagination helped her
craft special dance attire for her and Wally to wear for New Year’s Eve or
other special dance nights. In recent years, they never missed an episode
of Dancing with the Stars, keeping their own scores and hashing over the
various dance styles together. While big band music was her favorite, a very
recent trip to see The Temptations, at The Surf Ballroom, was great fun for her
too. Even as she lay resting in the hospice bed, her hand moved to
a beat only she could hear, perhaps keeping time to a favorite Glenn Miller
dance tune.
Not
only did Ev remember the music of the 1940s, she also had a great memory of the
pop culture of that day. Living through the depression years as a kid
instilled in her the need to be frugal and wise with spending. In current
days, she was the consummate recycler. Nothing went to waste that could
be recycled in one way or another.
Following
retirement, Ev and Wally spent summers in Wisconsin
and Iowa & winters in Arkansas
and Texas .
They traveled around with a camper trailer and enjoyed missing the snow and seeing
the sun shine. For several years they worked as National Forest Camp
Hosts in Charlton , Arkansas . In later years, they
traveled further south and stayed winters in Rockport , TX ,
where they became close friends with other snow-birds.
Ev and
Wally went on many trips together& they often revisited their memories of
some of their fun travels together; remembering destinations including Denmark , Alaska ,
Washington , DC ,
the West Coast, and Mt. Rushmore , the Southwest, Las Vegas , a few Amtrak trips and even a
cruise. Her love for travel was still strong & she had hoped
for more.
Ev was
talented as an artist and enjoyed painting in acrylics, or using pastels, as
well as other medium. Although she created conventional artwork, often
times her creative side was displayed through fun costumes and silly
pranks. She loved to be in on a surprise and helped plan and pull off
several parties and jokes. She loved a good chuckle and it is easy to
find family photographs of her in laughter.
Ev was
proud that she was able to manage the ‘smart phone’ and found that she loved
Facebook. She enjoyed be able follow friends and relatives, as well as
keep up on our changing world. In her 80s she learned to use the
internet, text & email, something that many younger folks may not care to
tackle. Her grandkids thought it was cool that Grandma OJ was on the
Facebook.
Ev was
truly Wally’s Seabee Mate. Over the course of their lives together, she
always was at Wally’s side at his Navy Seabee Reunions. Wally & Ev
eventually became the group’s stewards. Together they arranged the
details for many of the reunions for this group. She became a beloved
friend of the other Seabees and their families. Her patriotic streak ran
deep; she loved veterans and was intensely proud of Wally’s military service
& the service of other family members and friends.
Ev was
a devoted and loving wife, mother, step-mother, grandmother, great grandmother,
and great-great grandmother, aunt & friend. She was loved by all who
knew her.
Left to
cherish her memory:
her
husband, Valdemar “Wally” Johansen of Belmond, IA; brother, Elwood Haney of
Omaha, NE; her children: Rick (Pat) O’Toole of Cedar Rapids, IA; Teri
(Al) Jenniges of Garner, IA; Larry (Diane) O’Toole of Forest City, IA; Jeff (Pat)
O’Toole of Fertile, IA. Step-children: Ralph (Lois) Johansen of
Luck, WI; Glenn (Kathy) Johansen of Spring Valley, WI; Wanda Johansen of Rice
Lake, WI; Laila Johansen of Aurora, CO; and she was Grandma OJ to many O’Toole
& Johansen grandchildren, great grandchildren & even great-great
grandchildren, all of whom she loved so well.
Memorials
may be directed to Hospice of Northern Iowa. Ev was cared for by
these fine folks for 5 days and they made her passing a peaceful
transition. For this, the family is forever grateful.
Attn:
Jill Dean
1 comment:
Very heartfelt posts, Wanda. The obit was a wonderful tribute to a great lady.
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