Evanette (Evie) Maxine (Pals) Foss-White, age 89, of Belmond, IA, native, died, peacefully, Thursday, August 31, 2023, at the Rehabilitation Center of Belmond.
Public funeral services will be Wednesday, September 6, 2023, 10:30 AM, at the Immanuel Reformed Church east of Belmond. The Reverend David DeKuiper will be officiating. Burial will be in the Belmond Cemetery. Public visitation will be Tuesday, September 5th, from 5-7 PM at the Andrews Funeral Home, 516 1st ST. S.E., Belmond and will continue at the church Wednesday from 9:30 AM until the time of her funeral service. Memorial suggestions include the Immanuel Reformed Church-Belmond, Rehabilitation Center of Belmond, to the family of Evie Foss-White. The funeral service will be live streamed on the Andrews Funeral Homes Facebook page for those unable to attend in person. Just LIKE the page to view.
Evanette Maxine Pals, the daughter of Henry Pals, Jr. and Dena (Wiemann) Pals was born in a home in Alexander, IA, on February 25, 1934, across the street South where the W. P. Aldinger store stood. She was delivered by Dr. Martin. Evanette was born into a religious family and carried her strong faith throughout all her years. She attended and was baptized at the age 1, in the Alexander Reformed Church. She attended Alexander Schools for first and second grade. Then she moved with her family to a farm by Meservey, Iowa, for 3 years before moving to the Simerson farm Northwest of Belmond for about 8 years. Evie attended country school through the 8th grade and then rode the bus to Belmond for her freshman and sophomore years of school. The family then moved to a farm Northwest of Sheffield, Iowa, and she completed her junior and senior year at Sheffield High School, graduating in the Class of 1951. Following graduation in May 1951, Evanette got a job at the First State Bank-Belmond.
Evie met Robert “Bob” Foss, and the couple were married at the First Reformed Church of Meservey-Parsonage on April 17, 1952.
The couple made their home in Belmond and were blessed with five children. Evie focused on being a full-time mother in 1956 when daughter Bobbi Jo was born, son Tony joined the family in 1958, daughter Gayle in 1960, son Todd in 1962, and daughter Sally in 1966. She very much relished the role of wife and mom.
Evie returned to the work force employed on the night shift at the Belmond Community Hospital for a short period of time, finding it a challenge to raise five children and working nights, she discontinued this job. She had also spent some time employed at the Silvey Implement, a John Deere Dealership in town. Eventually, Luin Cox, at First State Bank asked if she would come back to work there in September 1969 and Evie stayed there until retiring in February of 1999 after a total of almost 35 years of faithful and dedicated employment with the bank.
Following her retirement Evie stayed home for two years and got caught up on her pictures and made 34 photograph books, 7 for each family. Being so happy to have completed this project, Evie found a part time job at the local Silver Screen Video store in Belmond owned by Cathy Willms, and worked there until December 2008.
Evie was actively involved in the Reformed Church in Alexander in early childhood attending Sunday School and Catechism there, then at the Reformed Church in Meservey where she was active until 1951, part of which was during the years of Rev. Kampman fulfilling the pulpit. Following her marriage to Bob, she became a member of the Bethany Reformed Church in Belmond and remained there until the church closed in August 2007, at which time she joined the Immanuel Reformed Church of Belmond. Evie sang in the church choir, or singing along side of her sister Betty, Linda Sheehan, or Carolyn Voss at Sunday service, taught Sunday School 9 years, was a member of the Bethany Helping Hands for 35 years, served in various church offices including Treasurer, Secretary, Janitor, the Bakeless Bake Sales, Harvest of Love and Food Pantry, as well as in various other ways in each of the church families. She enjoyed helping with many bazaars, salad suppers, caroling, bake sales, funeral committees, and so forth. Her faith life was something she shared with others and carried her through the many trials of life, including her husband Bob’s health issues, loss of granddaughter Jody in a tragic accident, and various other life’s speed bumps.
Evie relished times spent with her husbands, her children, and grandchildren. No matter what the occasion she truly looked forward to the festivities. Her home was always a welcome place for visits from relative, friends, and neighbors. She loved playing cards with her family and the many lengthy friendships that had developed with friends over the decades of card club get togethers for afternoons filled with games of Canasta, 500, Bridge, and 13. Evie always reflected fondly on the many pets, (always a dog), cat, snake, monkey, chickens, rooster, hamster, parakeet, white mouse, chinchillas, racoons, over the years at their home when they resided at 416 4th Ave. Northeast in Belmond.
Evie’s husband Bob passed away on April 22, 2007. She later met a wonderful man, Kenneth E. White when they were both visiting their mothers at the care center. They started dating and eventually were married on November 8, 2008. They enjoyed many years together. The two could often be seen meticulously maintaining their yard and flowers, hosting family barbeques and picnics at their home, dining out, attending classic car shows, or just relaxing in the outdoors watching the world pass by.
Over the years Evie enjoyed traveling and had gone on many bus trips with sister Betty and Mildred Anderson. Traveled to Colorado, California, Canada, each several times and other states as well.
Family and friends will fondly remember Evie as a gentle lady, filled with boundless love for others, deeply devoted to her faith, family, and friends. A lady with a heart of gold and a personality to match. Always positive, always friendly, and always loving.
Her memory will live on in the hearts and minds of her surviving family including Bobbi Jo Priestly, Belmond, IA, and her daughter Ashly (Kenn) Jenkins and their children Evie Jo and Paisley Jenkins and Jody Priestly who passed away April 15, 2007; Anthony “Tony” Foss (Shelley), Belmond, IA, and their daughter Randi (Allen) Potter and daughter Nikki (Rick) Johnson and their daughter Arabell Johnson; Gayle DeAnn Thompson (Leslie “Buck”), Belmond, IA, and their daughter Whitney (Zach) Dahlgren and their children Ellie, Maxwell, and Adellyn Dahlgren, and Gayle and Leslie’s son Brandon; Todd Henry Foss (Denise), Clarion, IA, and their daughter Micki (Chad) Disney, and their daughter Rilley Foss (Chad Markle), and son Bo Disney, and Todd and Denise daughter Shea Foss (Marvin Peterson), and three children Nevan, Jagger, and Jamison Foss; Sally Ann Lindeman (Brad), Allison, IA, and their children Ryan (Lucy) Lindeman and children, Sophia Lindeman, and twins Isabella and Cianna Lindeman and Sally and Brad’s daughter Kelsey (Zach) O’Connor and their children Kennedi, Finley, Remi and Laney O’Connor, and Sally and Sally and Brad’s granddaughter Madison Roberts; and a sister Dianne Phelps, Waterloo, IA. Additional survivors include other extended family and friends along with members of second husband Kenneth White’s family.
Evie was preceded in death by her parents, husband Robert Hugh Foss, husband Kenneth E. White, granddaughter Jody Priestly, son-in-law Guy Priestly, and sisters Betty Morris and Wanda Pals, brothers-in-law Derl Morris, Dale Phelps, and Leonard Pals.
Andrews Funeral Homes, Belmond, IA. http://www.andrewsfuneralhomeandfloral.com 641-444-4474.
