Evalynn Lorraine Hobbs

Enid News and Eagle

June 28, 2011

Submitted by: Jo Aguirre

Evalynn Lorraine Hobbs was born Feb. 13, 1927, to Isaac Samuel and Myrtle Goldie (Clover) Arnold. She was the oldest of eight children and was born at home on the family farm near Florence, Okla. Aside from her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, education was the most important thing in her life.

Evalynn Arnold married Allen Dale Hobbs April 27, 1946. They were blessed with five children, Judith Earlene, Allen Duane, Jane Ann, Dale Dean and Dan Lee.

They made their first home on the Gier place west of lamont and later moved across from where Allen’s parents had lived and eventually into the Hobbs homestead. They farmed and raised livestock there until Allen passed away in 1978 and Evalynn moved into town in 1984.

She graduated from Gore School as Valedictorian and later attended Northern Oklahoma College, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She later received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Alva. She graduated with the highest GPA in her class. She returned later to receive her master’s degree in education.Her first teaching duties came with 10 hours of college and an emergency certificate. She taught in a one-room school in District 77, west of Lamont.

Over 25 years later, her degree in hand, she began teaching English at Lamont High School in 1972 and later added the position of librarian to her list of duties. She taught there until her official retirement in May 1993.

While at DCLA she organized the first Academic Quiz Bowl team, organized and sponsored DCLA’s first National Honor Society. She worked as the scholarship counselor for many years, where she helped students earn hundreds of thousands of dollars toward college. She helped dozens of students prepare essays for various contests and most were honored as winners in their endeavors.

She organized and directed the Dinner Theatre for multiple years and was the cheerleading sponsor for 14 years. After her official retirement, she continued to work at the school for a “part-time” basis as the scholars bowl sponsor, NHS sponsor, Dinner Theatre Director and part-time librarian. She was a very busy lady!

The only thing that could match the number of hours Evalynn spent focused on education would be the number of miles she put on her car watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren play sports, participate in plays and musical events.

Always in her two-door car (four doors were for old people), she traveled to multiple towns in Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado and Pennsylvania to be there for the five-minute drum solo or triple overtime ball games.

If it was about family, Evalynn was all about it. She cooked for hundreds, sometimes when only three people were coming.

She was well known and loved for her homemade noodles and her creative salads. She fed stomachs, mended hearts, encouraged talents and gave straight advice to everyone. She is survived by sons, Duane, wife Renee, grandsons Jonathan and Jarred of lancaster, Penn., Dale, wife Lea Ann, granddaughters Jillian and Jaden of Lamont, Okla., Dan, wife Shannon, Wichita, Kan., grandson Matt, wife Stacia and great-grandson Landon of Andover, Kan., and granddaughter, Katey of Rose Hill, Kan., daughter, Jane McDermott, husband Max of Alva, Okla., grandson Dustin, wife Misty and great-grandchildren Addison, Ayden and Anthon of Harker Heights, Texas, and granddaughter Alyson Penco, husband Kris and great-grandsons Kyler, Kelan and Kuper of Alva, Okla.; sisters, Jean Somers and husband of Waynesville, Mo., Joan Sawyer and husband of Valley Center, Kan. and sister, Leola Rash and husband of Lamont, Okla. She also leaves behind numerous, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.

She was preceded in death by husband Allen, daughter Judy, twin siblings, Louis and Louise, sister Ruth and brother Ike.

Memorials may be made to Hobbs Scholarship Fund through Wilson Funeral Home, Pond Creek, or State Exchange Bank, Lamont.

Visitation 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, 2011, at Wilson Funeral Home, Pond Creek. Funeral service 10 a.m. Thursday at United