Evelyn Milosh Mader
Feb. 2, 1917 - March 15, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 12:48 PM PDT
Fruitland
Evelyn was born Feb. 2, 1917, in Roseburg, Ore., to Ira C. and Nora Benson. She was born at a time when wagons and horseback were the mode of traveling.
Graveside services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, March 22, 2008, at Rosedale Memorial Gardens, Payette, Idaho.
Evelyn traveled with her family by wagon to Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming several times during her younger years. Her father was a trapper and a farmer. She remembers being caught in a flash flood in K.C., Wyo., with water up to her armpits before getting to safety.
Some of her fondest memories were of growing up around Warren, Idaho, riding horseback for hours to go dancing in McCall, and returning home accompanied by her brother, Bob, along narrow trails with only moonlight to show the way.
She entertained the family with stories of her interesting, and often funny, life. She told stories about encountering cougars, bear, rattle snakes and even a skunk or two.
Evelyn came out the “winner” in all of these encounters, well maybe not with the skunk. She was adept with firearms and was a very good shot. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren sat in rapt attention as she told stories about how their great-great-grandfather eliminated “the evidence” from his still by feeding the mash to the pigs and chickens before the authorities arrived. The resulting reactions of the inebriated pigs and chickens as related by her had everyone laughing. Besides having a great story-telling ability, she wrote poetry and had some artistic ability, which some of her great-grandchildren share. Evelyn’s older brother has several western paintings to be found in Wyoming. Although she only obtained an eighth-grade education, she was a very astute lady in the business world, especially in finance. Evelyn met her first husband, Frank Milosh, in McCall in 1935. They were married in Vale, Ore., on Nov. 14 of that year. During a cold December, they hitchhiked to New Jersey, in hopes of finding work. This was during the Depression. They had $9 in their pockets, love in their hearts and a determination to find work in the New Jersey area, where her new husband had family. Homesick for the Northwest, she returned to Idaho in 1937 with her son, Bobby, and husband, Frank. She lived in McCall several years. Her daughter, Mickie, was born here. She and her family moved to Washington and Emmett, eventually settling in Payette, where they resided until her husband died in 1959. During these years of raising her family, she worked hard, riveting airplanes and packing parachutes during WWII, waitressing, nursing, bookkeeping, carrying and delivering the mail.
In May of 1965, she married Harold Mader, just after her return trip to Portland, Ore., where her daughter, Mickie, gave birth to her new grandson, Darrin. They traveled all over the United States, seeing new country, making new friends and working on the family genealogy. She was proud to be a cousin of Daniel Boone. Evelyn related stories of when Jesse James and the younger brothers ate frequent Sunday dinner at her grandmother’s. She carried on this tradition, so to speak, always feeding anyone who came to her home. She was an excellent cook and homemaker. Evelyn is still remembered by her family “hitting a mean baseball,” when her children were younger. She loved square dancing, pinochle, checkers, fishing, camping, traveling and especially her family. She took in every stray cat that came around. She was known to have spent over an hour on her stomach coaxing some wild kittens to come to her so she could take them home with her. Evelyn lived through and saw many changes in her lifetime. She was often heard to remark the “good old days” really were good, even with hard times.
She is survived by her daughter, Mickie Wamsley, Fruitland; grandchildren, Darrin Stone, Fruitland, Kelly Baer, Boise, Sherri Gheen (Ed), Ontario, Robert Milosh (Vera), Moscow, Ron Milosh, Ontario, and Shonna Stream (Barry), Ontario; great-grandchildren, Danielle Stone, Mandi Tidwell, Cody and Heidi Baer, Allan, Greg and Scott Marlin, Willy and Cassie Gheen, Crystal, Colby and Aubrey Stream and Samantha, Jason, Anthoney and Joseph Milosh; a sister-in-law, Mary Ann Benson, Canon City, Colo.; a daughter-in-law, Sally Milosh; and numerous nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; husbands, Frank Milosh and Harold Mader; her son, Robert Milosh; brothers, Robert, Eddie, Lewis, Ira, Jim, Jake, Jess and Hurshel Benson; and a sister, Nellie Stiffler.
The family wishes to express their thanks to Dr. Fred Stark, the staff at Holy Rosary Hospital and to the XL Hospice staff of Payette. Your help and kindness were greatly appreciated!
Memorials may be made to the PHS class of 1956 Memorial Scholarship fund or Shriner’s Crippled Children’s Service, in care of Haren-Wood.
