Evelyn George

BEDFORD -- Evelyn Fitch George, 97, passed away peacefully Friday, June 18, 2010, after enjoying a long and fulfilling life.        Funeral: 10 a.m. Tuesday at Bedford Church of Christ, of which Evelyn was a member. Interment: next to the church in Bedford Cemetery. Family visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Lucas Funeral Home on Precinct Line Road in Hurst.        Memorials: In lieu of flowers, donations to the Bedford Historical Cemetery are encouraged in care of Sue Hightower, 2021 Lexington Place, Bedford, Texas 76022.        Born Jan. 6, 1913, to Elijah and Mae Souder Wilkerson in Hurst, she was the oldest and last survivor of six siblings. Her mother, Mae, was a descendant of one of the earliest pioneering families in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford community.        Evelyn married her high school sweetheart, Walter R. Fitch, in 1933. Walter was a descendant of one of the first pioneering families in Bedford, and it was there that they made their home together for over 40 years and Evelyn for another 30 after that. They enjoyed a remarkable married life, first running the Fitch General Store, and then later the Bedford post office, when Walter was made postmaster of Bedford. They worked tirelessly beside each other in what were both considered the "hubs" of the small community. They were also very devoted to civic responsibilities in Bedford and led the way to defeat an election that would have merged Bedford with one of the larger neighboring cities in the 1960s.        After Walter's death in 1972, Evelyn married Woodrow Wilson George, a longtime family friend, and they enjoyed a whirlwind life filled with travel to many destinations, including Europe, the Mediterranean, China, Russia and India, to name a few. They were especially fond of their yearly pilgrimage to the Texas Valley every winter in their motor home, and Evelyn continued to travel there with friends for another 15 years after Woodrow's death in 1983.        One of the most beloved projects for Evelyn and dear to her heart was the restoration of the Old Bedford School, which was almost destroyed by fire in the 1990s. She was instrumental in the restoration efforts of the historic building, and, in her honor, the auditorium bears her name.        Evelyn was a beautiful and caring mother, grandmother, wife, sister, daughter, aunt and friend to her entire family and will be greatly missed.        Special thanks and appreciation for their loving care and attention to Evelyn is extended to Hearthstone Assisted Living in Bedford and Beckett Meadows and Stonebridge Care Center in Austin.        Survivors: She will be remembered fondly as a loving and generous mother to her sons, Walter B. "Bo" Fitch of Dallas and William Randy Fitch of Austin; and stepdaughter, Juliet George of Fort Worth. She was a devoted grandmother to her one and only grandson, William Bradley Fitch of Knoxville, Tenn., to whom she was very close. She was especially cherished by her nieces, Jo Ellen Anderson of Aledo and Martha Ann Bell of Fort Worth and is also survived by a nephew, William H. Wilkerson of Garland; niece, Jean Gaylan Jackson of Garland; great-niece and great-nephew, Carrie and Jeff Anderson of Fort Worth and Aledo; sister-in-law, Sydneyanna Wilkerson of Austin; and many dear friends and extended family members To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Evelyn George please visit our Sympathy Store.