Evelyn Mae Solow

Evelyn Mae Solow died peacefully May 20, 2012, in her home in Fort Collins after a long and courageous fight with cancer. Evelyn died a year after her beloved husband, Arthur. The last weeks of her life were spent celebrating and reminiscing with family and friends a life well lived. Evelyn was born in Detroit, Michigan on December 31, 1924, to Ora and Elizabeth Bohn, an Illinois farm boy and an Irish immigrant. Her two beautiful sisters, Geraldine and Rosemary, proceeded in her death; she missed them every day of her life. Evelyn met Art when they were both in high school, and, at 16 years of age, they began a relationship filled with laughter, respect, and love that lasted for 70 years. Evelyn married Arthur 68 years ago, the day before he left to serve in World War II. Art was stationed in Oakland, and she soon followed him and worked in the Naval Depot during the war while Art served in the South Pacific. After the war, they returned to Detroit, where Evelyn helped Art through college and began raising a family. After college Art taught in Royal Oak while Evelyn held the family together with love, good cooking, and lots of books. In 1959 Evelyn moved with Art to Fort Collins when he took the swim-coaching job at Colorado State University. This began a 53-year love affair with Fort Collins and the dear friends she made through the university and through her enjoyment of golf, traveling, and bridge. She belonged to the same bridge group for over 50 years. Her bridge days were the only social event she continued to attend during the last months of her life. Four days before she lost consciousness, she insisting on having a party and invited her beloved friends for wine and appetizers. She reigned over the festivities from her wheelchair and then her hospital bed, smiling the entire time as she listened to their stories. Evelyn also belonged to the Fort Collins Woman's Golf Association for many years, volunteered at Poudre Valley Hospital, and was a mom away from home for hundreds of CSU swimmers over the thirty years Art coached. She was a member of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church. Evelyn is survived by her four children and their families: Karen Hartman of Arvada and her husband, Tim; Robert Solow of Allen, Texas, and his wife, Teresa; Patricia Solow of Arvada; and Alan Solow, and his wife, Joy, of Denver. Evelyn had nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren who will miss her so much. She is also survived by her much loved brother-in-law, Richard Dean, and 14 nieces and nephews whom she adored. She gave her family the love of reading, the knowledge that family is most important in one's life, and that courage takes many forms. Evelyn's wish was to stay at home until the end of her life. Her family was able to grant her wish with the loving and caring help of her wonderful hospice nurse of nine months, Laurie, and Nance, the caring woman who gave her the "spa" treatments she loved so much the last month of her life, plus the handful of other nurses and care-takers and social workers who helped make Evelyn's life as comfortable as possible during her illness. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Fort Collins Pathways Hospice on-line, by phone, or by mail to: Pathways Hospice, Community Care for Northern Colorado Memorial Donations, 305 Carpenter Road, Fort Collins, CO 80525. Services will be held Tuesday, May 29, at 11 a.m. at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, 2000 S. Lemay Avenue.