Evelyn Wrobbel

Evelyn Marie Wrobbel, 85, of Fort Collins, passed away on Dec. 19, 2005, after a brief battle with cancer. She was a patient at the Hospice of Larimer County Unit at McKee Medical Center in Loveland. Evelyn, or Evie as friends and family knew her, was born July 23, 1920, in Lancaster, Wis., to Irvin and Elizabeth Frye. She was the eldest of four children. Evelyn was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Frederick; son, John; and her brother, Harold. Evelyn met Fred in college and they married on July 10, 1943. Her plans to become a school teacher were overshadowed by World War II and she began working for the war effort while Fred was away. Upon his return to the States, they moved to Rosiclaire, Ill., where they became parents to three sons, Wayne, Charles and John. When the couple moved to the Caribbean for Fred's job, Evelyn became a hostess for the many local and visiting dignitaries they entertained while living in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Suriname. Evelyn had many interesting stories of her travels and was in the process of writing her memoirs. During her time in the capital city of Santo Domingo, one of her most exciting adventures was surviving a rebellion against the Dictator, Rafael Trujillo, while living less than a mile away from his compound in the heart of the City. Evelyn and Fred also survived a hurricane while living on the southern coast of the Hispanola Island on the Alcoa Company site. She was fond of retelling those stories after they retired to the mountains of Colorado. The couple built their home on the Poudre River where they lived until a few years ago. Evelyn made many friends in the Poudre Park community and enjoyed visiting, gardening and collecting recipes. Evelyn is survived by her two sons, Wayne and Charlie and wife, Susan and granddaughter, Mackenzie, all of Fort Collins, and two sisters, Virginia Parkinson, of Fort Isabel, Texas, and Belva Anderson, of Wisconsin. A memorial service will be at a later date.