Marjorie Louise Evans

There was never a coronation. She never wore a crown. She never sat on a throne, nor did she ever call a palace her home. However, in the humble dwellings in the land of her birth, and in which she reigned, she left no doubt in the minds of her subjects, all six of them (Marilyn, Rhona, Keith, Elton, Wendell, and Kathleen), that she was regal; she was Queen and these homes were her castles. Later, when she migrated to the United States and set up her residence there, 698 Maple Street became her new castle and her royal court expanded to include her grandchildren. Sitting around her kitchen table, talking hour after hour and well into the night, made us all feel like royalty.

Relatively short in stature - she nevertheless stood tall in virtue. She never tired of trying to ensure that her subjects were disposed to doing good, to abiding by the virtues found in the Fruit of the Spirit that the Book of Galatians instructed were: love,joy, patience, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And, as she sought to instill these virtues in her subjects, ably supported by her King Consort, her devoted husband, Carl B., she obviously was inspired by the Book of Proverbs, which taught her that in the exercise of her parental authority, she must, at times, apply the Rod of Correction to steer them away from foolishness and toward moral integrity. And so she did, in liberal doses, not only to her subjects, but to her nephews and nieces as well.

Relatively short in stature - she stood tall in strength, endurance, stamina, and faith. And in an era when maintaining good hygiene was a challenge because of the lack of pipe-borne and potable water, she rose to the challenge and triumphed over it. So too in the dark ages of public utilities, marked by the absence of dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, electric irons, gas and electric stoves, when feats of superhuman endurance were required 24/7 to feed and clothe her subjects, she worked tirelessly and was never found wanting.

Relatively short in stature - she was tall in ambition; our Queen would at times remind her subjects that this was not the life she envisioned for herself. Indeed, she would tell them that she had dreams of going abroad to study and return home to teach, which was her passion. And when life took a different turn for her, her ambition did not flatten nor did her resolve to hang a diploma on her wall diminish. And so, she pursued a career in nursing and she never tired of telling the story of her graduation from nursing school and the fulfillment she found in her career as a midwife. Our Queen was also a lover of music and she had a particular passion for the violin. She would often regale her subjects with the tale of how her father had promised time and time again to buy her one, but never did. Eventually, she put her childhood ambition on what she maintained was temporary hold, and turned her attention to learning to play the organ.

Later in life, when she migrated to the United States, our industrious Queen, mindful of her constant warning to her subjects that "the devil finds work for idle hands to do", and herself always inclined to be productive, entered into the world of commerce at the Bell Company, where she would work until she reached the age of retirement. And even then, the devil stood no chance of finding work for idle hands. For she then embraced volunteerism, and up to the age of 90, she dedicated her time and energy to serving the needs of the marginalized of her community through her work in a food bank.

Well past her hundredth birthday, the Queen was still vibrant. It was not until the last months of her life that she began to show signs of weariness even as her appetite for her favorite dessert, ice cream and cake, which she always maintained should precede her meal, diminished and finally disappeared altogether. Now our Queen of her castles is dead, long live the Queen. Never coronated, uncrowned, and never having dwelled in a palace, she has gone to sleep in her Lord, Jesus Christ. In the Book of John, Chapter 14, we are told of HIS parting words to his Disciples: "I go to prepare a place for you and if I go, I will come again and receive you onto myself so that where I am you will be also." She is now asleep, but we, her subjects, are believing that one day she will awake, dressed in fine raiment and enveloped in HIS glory, in the p(a)lace that HE has prepared for her.

Until then, sleep peacefully our Queen! Sleep peacefully Mom! We salute you! We honor you! And we love you!

Your royal court.

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