Evebell Louise Dunham
1924 – 2024
Evebell Louise Dunham, 100, a resident of Touchmark at Coffee Creek, Edmond, OK, died on October 21, 2024. She was a former Assisted Living resident at Epworth Villa in Oklahoma City, and a 29-year Independent Living resident of The Forest at Duke in Durham, NC. Born Evebell Louise Warren on September 21, 1924, in Amarillo, TX, she was preceded in death by her loving husband and dance partner of almost 60 years, Robert Marion Dunham; her parents, Oscar and Jennie (Hopper) Warren; father-in-law Leslie Dunham and mother-in-law Lois (Mapes) Dunham; brother-in-law Roy Dunham and sister-in-law Helen (Wagner) Dunham; brother-in-law Larry Dunham; and two nieces, Laura Dunham and Merrily (Dunham) McLaughlin. She is survived by her daughter, Rita Dunham-Turek and son-in-law, Tim Turek, of Edmond, OK; son Warren Dunham and daughter-in-law Robin Askins, of Carlsbad, CA; granddaughter Laura Leigh Dunham, of Brooklyn, NY; brother-in-law Ervin Jerrol Dunham, of Baton Rouge, LA; sister-in-law Martha (Dickson) Whitacre and her husband John Whitacre; niece Sara Dunham, and nephews Mike (Bunderlai) Dunham, Rick Dunham, and Paul (Lori) Dunham.
After graduating high school in Amarillo, Evebell attended West Texas State University in Canyon, TX, leaving there after the start of WWII to volunteer to serve as a nurses’ aide. Thus began a lifetime of community service, which included volunteering at a suicide prevention center and performing audiology screening of pre-school children in Tulsa, OK; serving as President of the American Women’s Club in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, and volunteering for the Hinsdale (IL) Historical Society and the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL.
Mrs. Dunham and her husband were “Pioneer” residents of The Forest At Duke in Durham, NC, relocating there in 1992. Evebell served on numerous resident committees there and was a Volunteer of the Year. She and her husband also served as volunteers at Duke University Medical Center and, as members of the Congregation at Duke University Chapel, they served as docents for the Chapel and Mrs. Dunham served as a Stephen Minister. A certified Master Gardener, she held an Associate of Applied Science degree in Interior Design and Ornamental Horticulture and was a longtime volunteer at Sarah P. Duke Gardens and the North Carolina Botanical Gardens, where she shared her lifetime love of gardening and flower arranging.
She was a member of Quail Springs United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City, joining the church when she relocated from North Carolina to Oklahoma in 2021, and she volunteered in QSUMC’s Helping Hands homeless ministry until shortly before her death.
A Celebration of Life service was held for Mrs. Dunham on Friday, November 8 in the Brill Chapel at Epworth Villa in Oklahoma City. Memorial gifts may be directed to the Religious Life Committee at Epworth Villa, 14901 N. Pennsylvania Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73134, or to Quail Springs United Methodist Church, 14617 N. Pennsylvania Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73134.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Epworth Villa, Touchmark, and LifeSpring Hospice as well as all of Mrs. Dunham’s private duty caregivers, including those from Synergy and Right at Home, for their compassionate care, along with her church family at QSUMC for their loving-kindness and support.
My wife Ann and I were next door neighbours to Bob and Evebell in Trinidad in the early 70’s. They were great friends, lovely people and I have very happy memories of all the things we did together subsequently. The world has now lost two very gracious people. RIP.