February 5, 1917 - May 24, 2011
Evelyn, age 94, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on May 24, 2011.
Evelyn Searls was born on February 5, 1917, in South Dakota, the oldest of three girls. Her father, George Searls, was a farmer while her mother, Lillie, was a homemaker. The family moved to Redlands, CA, when Evelyn was seven. Evelyn went to school in Redlands and graduated from the University of Redlands, majoring in English and French. She obtained her teaching credential and taught school in Corona, in Riverside County from 1939 until she retired in 1972. Evelyn taught elementary, junior high, and high school.
During WWII, Evelyn enlisted in the Womens Army Corps (WACS) and was honorably discharged at the end of the war in 1945, after which she returned to teaching school in Corona.
She met her husband, Stephen Sklepowich, a fellow teacher, in 1955. They were married in 1958. In 1961, they built a house in Corona. After they retired in 1972, they traveled the world. They sold their house in 2004, and moved to northern California. Stephen passed away in 2005, at age 94. Evelyn had been living at Hacienda Care Center in Livermore for the last five years.
Stephen and Evelyn had no children, but leave two loving nieces: Marjorie Yeargan and Barbara Maxwell, both of Bend, OR; two great-nieces, Margaret and Barbara Doyle of Dublin, California; and two nephews, Gordon and David Dibble of Southern California.
Evelyn will be buried with military honors at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery. Services are private.
