Evelyn Gay (3/17/22 - 9/28/19) was born and raised in Detroit. She married William James Longhurst in 1945. They and their four children — Jim, Jane, Beth, and Bill Jr. — lived in Royal Oak and Saginaw until Bill’s death in 1963. In 1965, she married Jim Gay and moved to his hometown of Alma to live with Jim and his two sons, David and Doug, where they were active members of St. John’s Episcopal Church and the Alma community. When Jim retired, they moved to Florida for several years, where they enjoyed warm winters and scorekeeping for PGA tournaments. In the 1990s, they returned to the Gay family home in Alma, where Jim passed in 2008. Evelyn had a lot of energy and loved entertaining friends and visiting family. She was a compassionate woman of many talents and interests: Volunteer of the Year at the Michigan Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, bridge and crossword enthusiast, always quick with a joke and a laugh — even at her own expense. Summing up her attitude towards life, for years she carried in her wallet this quote: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow! What a ride!’” She was immensely proud of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. In December 2018, she and her cat Roosevelt moved to an assisted living residence in Marshall, where son Jim, daughter-in-law Lynn, and two grandchildren and their families live. She passed away peacefully with family present on September 28, 2019. Evelyn is survived by children Dr. James Longhurst (Lynn) of Marshall, MI; Elizabeth Longhurst (Dr. Kim Chapman) of St. Paul, MN; Dr. David Gay (Tanner) of Albuquerque, NM; Daughter-in-law Barbara Joan Longhurst (Bill, Jr.) of Medford, OR; grandchildren Madge Doty (Tom) of Los Angeles, CA; Barbara Longhurst Vick (Jeff) of Arlington, VA; Dr. Jamie Longhurst (Morris) of Marshall, MI; Jordan Longhurst Paulius (Linas) of Glen Ellyn, IL; Abby Longhurst Bennie (Braden) of St. Charles, IL; Madeleine Longhurst Simonds (Ethan) of Los Angeles, CA; William Chapman of Santa Cruz, CA; and great-grandchildren Megan Vick; Brady, Jordan, Isaiah, Tanner, and Maisie Jane Hill; and Kostas Paulius; and beloved cat, Roosevelt. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by husbands William James Longhurst and James L. Gay; sons Arthur William Longhurst and Dr. James Douglas Gay; daughter Jane Longhurst and her husband David Debnar; and granddaughter Jessie Longhurst. A celebration of Evelyn’s life will be held in Alma on February 8, 2020. Details will be announced later at
www.legacy.com/obituaries/themorningsun/. Memorial contributions can be made to: Jessie’s Gift, Albion Community Foundation, PO Box 156, Michigan 49224.
Published by Morning Sun from Oct. 10 to Oct. 13, 2019.