Evelyn “was called home” on July 8, 2015, in Kalispell.
She was born Sept. 8, 1922, in Powell, Wyoming, to Veva (Hawley) and William Sedwick, early homesteaders of the Powell Valley.
She married the love of her life, John Levi Bygren, in Los Angeles, where he was stationed, on March 27, 1942. The couple farmed on Heart Mountain between Powell and Cody from 1947 until moving to Laurel in 1965.
John predeceased Evelyn in 1998.
Evelyn was a member of the Laurel United Methodist Church, a past president of both the American Legion Auxiliary and the Beta Sigma Phi sorority. She was a longtime volunteer at Deaconess Medical Center after her retirement from the Cenex Refinery, where she worked for 14 years. A “good visit” was always important to her with family and friends. Evelyn was known for her kindness and sense of humor.
Survivors include her sons, Jerry and wife Sarah of Bigfork, and Steve and his wife Susan of Colorado Springs, Colorado; grandsons, Casey of Bigfork and Tyler of Billings; granddaughter, Kelley, of Missoula; two great-grandchildren; as well as two stepgranddaughters and their husbands and sons, all of the Flathead Valley. Evelyn is also survived by her sister, Charlotte Thoroughgood, of Reno, Nevada; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank the staff of Immanuel Lutheran Home for their loving care of Evelyn for the past five years.
At her request, Evelyn has been cremated.
Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at the Swan River Hall.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Home Options Hospice Care, the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork, or the charity of your choice.
Interment will be at a later date in Powell, Wyoming.