Evelyn Stall is seen here at her 100th birthday party in May of 2019. Stall passed away this week at the age of 101.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
If people think you are likely to “ruffle a few feathers” in heaven it’s perhaps fair to say you have made a lasting impression in your community.
Just a month short of her 102nd birthday, Evelyn Stall passed away on Sunday.
“She will be thoroughly missed in this community for the good she has done and we know she will continue that in heaven. She may even ruffle a few feathers up there,” said Mike Hertz, a friend who knew her even before she came to Medicine Hat 40 years ago.
At her 100th birthday celebration she declared that she still had work to do.
“I’ve been curious about life since the time I was born and I still am – I’m not finished yet.”
Ken Sauer, a personal friend and former city councillor, called her “a real, engaging, feisty lady who held a vision for the betterment of the community.”
Her son Alan affectionately remembers her as a “spitfire” and “determined.”
Her youngest son Morley pays tribute to her tremendous strength of character. She raised her three sons on her own in Moose Jaw, ran a real estate business and became president of the real estate board, all at a time when those were not typical roles for women.
“She set a high bar and expected others to meet it,” said Morley.
“She went against the grain … had an uphill flight,” said Alan.
Even a month ago, Alan says, she was coming up with new plans and ideas to do something.
Many Hatters will remember the special galas she organized to honour volunteers. She insisted on “the highest standard” when it came to table decor and the evening’s program, said Sauer.
“Evelyn was one of the best examples of leadership,” he said.
She was a staunch worker and supporter of the Medicine Hat Hospital Auxiliary, spending countless hours as a volunteer.
Morley says there is a side to his mother not many are aware of.
She played the piano and had completed Grade 12 at the conservatory of music. She particularly enjoyed playing compositions by Rogers and Hammerstein.
“I think she could have ended up as a concert pianist,” said Alan.
She was the daughter of Ben and Rose Schwartz, who immigrated from Russia in 1912 and moved to Moose Jaw in 1921. This is where she met and married Joel Stall in 1938. He had come from Poland with the assistance of an uncle.
“My husband’s entire family in Poland was wiped out (in the Holocaust),” Evelyn told the News in 2018. “He had a nervous breakdown and never fully recovered.”
She talked of a strong sense of responsibility, particularly during the Second World War, and said she would listen to the radio for the voice of Sir Winston Churchill, British prime minister. In a diary she had made a note of one of his quotes that had influenced her life.
“Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”
Hertz says her greatest legacy is the many projects she spearheaded for the benefit of others, including establishing the volunteer centre and advocating on behalf of seniors to the government.
“I was impressed with Evelyn’s creativity and ability to think differently, to generate ideas and promote change – another quality of a leader,” said Hertz.
